JAPAN 


DESCRIBED  BY  GREAT  WRITERS 


'    SINGLETON 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


JAPAN 


JAPAN 

As  Seen  and  Described 
by  Famous  Writers 


Edited  and  Translated  by 

ESTHER    SINGLETON 

Author   of   "Turrets,     Towers   and    Temples," 

"Great  Pictures,"  and  "A  Guide  to  the 

Opera,"  and  translator  of  "  The  Music 

Dramas  of  Richard  Wagner." 


WITH   NUMEROUS   ILLUSTRATIONS 

t      j,  _« I.    •       >      I       I      t     _j_    I     _1.  ,t t_    I        I    _t I,  ,t l_.t t-.t I-    I      ^»      *        *      I      _t_    I     ^>^    t       <    _l t^ 

•r* "  r™  r  »   r  I   ~  i  r  r  ™  •  T  r  r  »   ~  r  r  »  ™  i   i    i  ™  i  i    i  i    i  r  i   j    r 


I   I  1   I  I   I  1   M   I  I   I  I   I  1   I  I   I  I   1  I   I  i  I  !•  I  I  'M'  I"M  I   l-Hf 

j8eto  port 

Dodd,  Mead  and  Company 


COPYRIGHT,  1904, 
By  DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

Published  March,  1904 


Art 

Libra  rv 

OS 


PREFACE 

IN  the  following  pages  I  have  endeavoured  to  present 
a  bird's  eye  view  of  Japan,  as  seen  by  travellers  and 
recognized  authorities  who  have  given  time  and  study 
to  the  arts,  sciences,  history,  ethnography,  manners,  cus- 
toms and  institutions  of  that  country.  Within  the  limits 
of  a  volume  of  this  size,  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  de- 
scribe Japan  in  detail  ;  in  fact,  that  country  is  still  a  sealed 
book  to  the  European  and  American  with  the  exception  of 
the  circumscribed  region  around  Tokio,  Kioto  and  the 
Treaty  Ports.  I  have  tried,  however,  to  give  a  general  and 
comprehensive  view  of  Japan  and  Japanese  life  by  drawing 
on  the  records  and  impressions  of  those  who  have  been 
allowed  especial  opportunities  for  examination  and  forming 
their  own  conclusions. 

Beginning  with  the  description  of  the  country,  its  phys- 
ical features,  flora,  fauna,  etc.,  the  writers  whom  I  have 
laid  under  contribution  next  describe  the  Japanese  race 
with  ethnological  details,  and  then  proceed  to  treat  of  the 
history  and  religion  of  the  land.  The  next  division  of  the 
work  is  devoted  to  descriptions  of  special  towns,  the  Inland 
Sea,  mountains,  highways,  temples,  shrines  and  places  or 
popular  resort.  As  these  special  descriptions  give  a  clearer 
idea  of  Japanese  life  and  thought  than  more  general 

v 


vi  PREFACE 

articles,  more  space  has  been  devoted  to  this  department  of 
the  work  than  any  other.  From  the  topography  and  special 
descriptions,  we  pass  to  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
nation,  treating  of  the  home  and  the  special  social  obser- 
vances and  amusements  peculiar  to  Japan.  After  this,  the 
arts  and  crafts  of  the  Japanese  are  treated  comprehensively 
by  recognized  authorities  in  the  various  branches  j  and,  in 
order  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  Japan  as  it  now  is,  I 
have  added  a  few  recent  statistics  and  an  article  on  the  dawn 
of  New  Japan. 

The  extracts  from  Glimpses  of  Unfamiliar  Japan^  by 
Lafcadio  Hearn,  are  used  by  permission  of,  and  by  special 
arrangement  with,  Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co., 
publishers  of  Mr.  Hearn's  works. 

E.  S. 

New  Tork,  March  20,  1904. 


CONTENTS 

PART  I 

THE  COUNTRY  AND  THE  RACE 

PAGE 

The  Country         ........         I 

Louis  Const 

Physical  Features  .          .         .          •         •         •         •         •        *3 
A.  H.  Keane 

The  Japanese  Race         . 21 

Jean  Jacques  Elisee  Reclus 

PART  II 

HISTORY  AND  RELIGION 

The  History  of  Japan .30 

Basil  Hall  Chamberlain 

Shinto  and  Buddhism 44 

Toshitaro  Tamashita 

The  Japanese  Tori-i 54 

Samuel  Tuke 

PART  III 

PLACES  AND  MONUMENTS 

The  Great  Tokaido  Road 60 

Sir  Edward  J.  Reed 
vii 


viii  CONTENTS 

Tokio 77 

Frederic  H.  Balfour 

The  Temple  of  Asakusa .82 

Judith  Gautier 

The  Temple  of  Hatchiman     ......       89 

Aime  Humbert 

The  Shiba  Temple .       97 

Christopher  Dresser 

In  Yokohama 102 

Lafcadio  Hearn 
Fuji-San ..no 

Sir  Edwin  Arnold 

The  Temples  of  Nikko .     1 20 

Pierre  Loti 

The  Ise  Shrines     .         .         .         .         .         .         .         •     131 

Isabella  Bird  Bishop 

The  Dai-Butsu  of  Nara  .         .         .         .         .  137 

Sir  Edward  J.  Reed 

Kioto  I4i 

Pierre  Loti 

The  Mikado's  Palace      .         .         .         .         .         .         •     149 

Pierre  Loti 

The  Inland  Sea     .          .          .          .          .         .         .         .156 

Aime  Humbert 

Impressions  of  Kobe       .          .          .          .         .         .         .164 

Andre  Bellessort 

Miyanoshita  .          .          .          .         .         .         .         .172 

Sir  Edwin  Arnold 

In  the  Japanese  Mountains 182 

Sir  Edwin  Arnold 


CONTENTS  ix 

Ena-San  and  Misakatoge          .         .         .         .         .         .191 

Noel  Buxton 

A  Large  Crater 201 

Prof.  John  Milne 

Enoshima      .         .         .         .         .         •         •         •         .210 
Lafcadio  Hearn 


PART  IV 

MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS 

Costume  of  the  Gentlemen  of  Japan          .         .         .         .218 
Arthur  Diosy 

Japanese  Ladies      .         .         .         .         .         .         •         .227 

T.  E.  M. 

Japanese  Children 234 

Mortimer  Mempes 

The  Geisha 239 

Mortimer  Mempes 

The  House  and  its  Customs    ......     243 

Marcus  B.  Huish 

The  Japanese  Hearth      .         .         .         ,         .         .         .     250 
Sir  Edwin  Arnold 

Gardens 257 

7.  J.  Rein 

The  Flowers  of  Japan ^263 

Josiah  Conder 

The  Tea-Ceremonies  (Cha-no-yu)  ....     282 

Augustus  W.  Franks 

Pilgrimages  ........     287 

Basil  Hall  Chamberlain 


x  CONTENTS 

PART  V 

ARTS  AND  CRAFTS 

Ornamental  Arts    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .291 

George  Ashdown  Audslej 

Decorative  Arts     .         .         .         ,         .         .         .         .297 
Sir  Rutherford  Alcock 

Architecture          .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .305 

Christopher  Dresser 

Painting        .  .         .         .-,...,.    ,     .         .312 

William  Anderson 

Pottery  and  Porcelain     .         .         .         .         .         .         .316 

Augustus  W.  Franks 

Sculpture  and  Carving    . 324 

Marcus  B.  Huish 

Lacquer 331 

Ernest  Hart 

Literature 34, 

W.  G.  Aston 

Theatre •     .     349 

Mortimer  Mempes 


PART  VI 

MODERN  JAPAN 

The  New  Japan 356 

Arthur  Diosy 

Present  Conditions 364 

E.  S. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

YOKOHAMA FRONTISPIECE 

To  face  page 

FALLING  FOG  CASCADE,  KIRIFURINOTAKI           ...  2 

HARBOUR  OF  NAGASAKI       .          .          .          .          .          .  14 

JAPANESE  PRIESTS       .......  2* 

TOMB  OF  IYEYASU,  NIKKO  .          .          .          .          .          .  32 

OSAKA  CASTLE            .......  4° 

SHINTO  TEMPLE,  KOBE        ......  46 

DAI-BUTSU,  UENO,  TOKIO  .          .          .          .          .          .  5 2 

TORI-I,  NAGASAKI      .......  5^ 

STREET  IN  TOKIO       .......  ?8 

BUDDHAS,  ASAKUSA    .......  88 

DAIBOUDHS,  KAMAKURA       .         .          .          .          .          .  9^ 

THE  SHIBA  TEMPLE,  TOKIO         .         .         .         .         .  100 

A  JlNRIKI-SHA  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  ,IO8 

FUJI-SAN .116 

TEMPLES  OF  NIKKO    .          .          .          .          .          .          .        1 20 

SHOGUN'S  BRIDGE,  NIKKO   .          .          .          ,          .          .130 
ENTRANCE  TO  THE  TEMPLE  OF  CHION-IN,  KIOTO      .          .        142 
TEMPLE  OF  KIOMIZU,  KIOTO         .          .          .          .          .148 

MIKADO'S  PALACE,  KIOTO   .          .          .          .          .          .154 

KOBE 164 

JAPANESE  CHILDREN.      BY  MORTIMER  MEMPES          .      .    .        234 
JAPANESE  INTERIOR  WITH  ARRANGEMENT  OF  WINTER  FLOWERS       244 
GARDENS,  TOKIO       .          .          .          .          .          .          .        250 

GARDENS,  KOGOSHIMA         .          ,          .          .          .          ,        262 


xli  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Tofacepagt 
VIEWING  THE  PLUM  BLOSSOMS      .....        268 

ON  THE  SUMIDA  RIVER        ......        270 

WISTARIA  BLOSSOMS  AT  KAMEIDO          ....        274 

JAPANESE  TEA-ROOM  ......        284 

MOTHER    AND    CHILD.       Bv  KENZAN    (1663-1743),   IN 

KENZAN-!MADO  WARE  .....        294 

GATEWAY  OF  THE  SHIBA  TEMPLE,  TOKIO         .          .          .306 
PAGODA  AT  ASAKUSA  .  .          .  .          .!         .          .        308 

SPECTACLE  BRIDGE,  KIOTO.          .          .          .          .          .        310 

KAKEMONO  BY  HOKUSAI,  REPRESENTING  OFUKU  THROWING 

BEANS  AT  A  DEMON  ;  PAINTED  ABOUT  I  8OO         .          .        3  I  » 
VASES  OF  OWARI  PORCELAIN          .          .          .          .          .318 

CARVED  IVORY  GROUP,  BY  MEI-GIOKU  BUTSU,  REPRESENT- 
ING THE  FAMOUS  ARCHER  TAMETOMO  A.'tD  HIS  SWORD- 
BEARER  .......  326 

FOUR  LACQUER  BOXES       .          .          .         .          .         .334 

PANEL  FROM  A  SCREEN,  LACQUER,  WITH  FIGI'SE  OF  A  COURT 
LADY  AND  POETESS  OF  THE   ELEVENT**  CENTURY,  IN- 
CRUSTED  IN  IVORY  ;  DESIGN  BY  YoSAJ       .          .          .344 
TEA  HOUSE      .          .          .          .          .          .          .          .358 

TEMPLE  BELL,  KIOTO         .         .          .         ,         .          .368 


THE  COUNTRY 

LOUIS  GONSE 

ALL  those  who  have  set  foot  on  Japanese  soil  agree 
in  praising  its  natural  beauties.  In  this  respect, 
travellers'  tales  present  such  unanimity  that  we 
may  consider  Japan  as  one  of  the  most  favoured  countries 
in  the  world.  Beauty  of  sky,  mildness  of  climate,  variety 
of  zone,  and  configuration  to  the  land  all  contribute  to  its 
wealth.  By  its  greatly  lengthened  form,  like  that  of  a  bow, 
the  concave  side  of  which  is  turned  towards  the  Asiatic 
continent,  and  by  its  extension  from  north-east  to  south- 
west, the  Nippon  archipelago  covers  very  different  latitudes 
and  consequently  lends  itself  to  cultivations  of  the  most 
opposite  character.  There  are  no  fewer  than  750  leagues 
between  the  northern  extremity  of  the  island  of  Yezo,  which 
is  on  the  forty-sixth  parallel,  to  the  extreme  south  of 
Kiushiu,  which  is  on  the  thirtieth.  While  the  northern 
regions  are  covered  with  snow  the  southern  ones  are  vivified 
by  an  ardent  sun.  From  the  crossing,  around  Japan,  of 
the  great  Polar  current  that  comes  down  from  the  Sea  of 
Okhotsk  and  the  great  tropical  current  that  comes  up  from 
the  equator  towards  the  Isle  of  Formosa  and  flows  along 
the  east  coasts  before  losing  itself  in  the  Pacific,  it  results 
that  the  difference  between  the  temperatures  of  the  north 


2  JAPAN 

and  south,  between  summer  and  winter,  is  more  marked 
even  than  in  Europe.  At  the  same  latitude,  it  is  colder  by 
five  or  six  degrees  in  the  north  of  Japan ;  and  the  heat  is 
more  intense  in  the  south.  The  medium  climate  of  Yezo 
corresponds  almost  with  that  of  Norway ;  that  of  Kiushiu 
with  that  of  Egypt.  There  is  the  same  difference  in  the 
seasons.  It  must  also  be  added  that  the  east  coasts  have  a 
milder  and  more  humid  climate  than  those  on  the  west. 

Four  islands,  of  much  greater  importance  than  the  others, 
form  the  territory  of  the  Empire  of  Japan  properly  speak- 
ing j  Yezo,  Hondo,  the  largest,  which  the  Dutch  named 
Nippon ;  Shikok,  the  coasts  of  which  form  the  Inland  Sea, 
and  Kiushiu.  The  area  of  the  Empire  of  Japan,  accord- 
ing to  official  statistics,  is  a  little  more  than  three-quarters 
the  size  of  France ;  and  the  population  numbers  about 
forty  millions.  Taking  into  account  the  small  number  of 
inhabitants  contained  by  the  northern  and  mountainous 
regions,  this  country  must  rank  as  one  of  the  most  densely 
populated  on  the  face  of  the  globe.  The  population  of 
the  three  imperial  cities  is, — Tokio,  1,507,642  ;  Kioto, 
351,461;  Osaka,  1,311,909.  Ten  other  towns  have  more 
than  100,000  inhabitants  each. 

The  extreme  width  of  Japan,  even  in  the  latitude  of 
Tokio,  does  not  exceed  130  leagues.  The  extent  of  the 
coast  line  is  enormous  and  may  be  set  at  ten  times  that  of 
France.  The  shores  are  greatly  indented,  with  deep  bays ; 
and  the  islands  with  which  they  are  dotted  are  almost  in- 
finite in  number, — no  less  than  thirty-eight  hundred  of 


FALLING  FOG  CASCADE,   KIRIFURINOTAKI. 


THE  COUNTRY  3 

them  have  been  counted.  This  geographical  disposition,  in 
combination  with  the  presence  of  the  ocean  currents,  re- 
sults for  a  great  portion  of  the  year  in  a  very  humid  condi- 
tion of  the  atmosphere,  from  which  vegetation  gains  an 
incomparable  freshness.  The  almost  tropical  humidity  of 
the  spring  and  summer,  and  the  relative  dryness  of  the 
autumn  and  winter  constitute  the  most  striking  character 
of  the  climate  of  Japan.  Rain  and  snow  are  continually 
recurring  in  the  compositions  of  the  Japanese  artists. 

The  rainy  season  corresponds  to  our  months  of  June  and 
July.  The  temperature  rises  rapidly  with  the  arrival  of 
the  rains,  and  transforms  Japan  into  a  veritable  sewer. 
The  summer,  which  follows,  is  short,  hot  and  stormy.  We 
can  imagine  the  different  actions  exercised  by  such  a  state 
of  atmosphere  upon  plants,  animals  and  man.  During  these 
months,  the  population  is  attacked  by  a  general  anemia. 
Everything  softens  in  this  warm  humidity.  Twice  as  much 
rain  falls  in  Japan  as  in  Western  Europe ;  at  Tokio  (Yedo), 
the  meteorological  observations  show  a  rainfall  of  nearly 
sixty  inches  per  annum.  The  bay  of  Tokio  performs  the 
office  of  a  hole  to  engulf  the  clouds  brought  by  the  south 
winds.  The  paddy-fields  thrive  wonderfully  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Musachi  and  form  stretches  of  verdure  for  which 
the  eye  can  find  no  limit.  The  skies  in  this  region  pour 
down  such  masses  of  water  that  the  waters  of  the  sea  are 
far  less  salt  here  than  elsewhere.  This  enervating  return 
of  warm  rain  is  a  real  scourge  to  public  health ;  it  is  the 
sole  complaint  that  visitors  have  to  make.  But  it  is  really 


4  JAPAN 

serious,  and  to  its  influence  must  be  attributed  the  frail 
constitution  of  the  Japanese,  especially  in  the  leisured 
classes,  their  premature  old  age,  and  the  relatively  short  life 
among  the  dwellers  in  the  plains. 

The  autumn  and  winter  are  the  dry  seasons.  The 
autumn  particularly  is  the  loveliest  part  of  the  year.  Dur- 
ing the  months  of  October,  November  and  December,  the 
sky  is  of  exquisite  purity,  the  colours  in  the  landscape 
glow  with  marvellous  brilliancy,  and  the  air  is  light  and 
full  of  tonic.  Those  who  visit  Japan  in  these  privileged 
days  carry  away  with  them  an  image  of  ineffaceable  de- 
light. Freed  from  the  excessive  influence  of  the  spring, 
the  plants,  like  the  men,  stand  up  and  seem  to  take  strength 
from  the  well-being  of  Nature.  The  flowers  of  spring  are 
succeeded  by  a  still  richer  display ;  this  is  the  time  when 
the  denticulated  leaf  of  the  moumidji  illumines  the  landscape 
with  its  purple  hues. 

The  surface  of  Japan  is  very  mountainous  and  of  an 
essentially  volcanic  formation.  The  features  of  the  land 
and  shores  give  to  the  landscapes  an  extraordinary  variety 
and  an  almost  tortuous  aspect  which  is  very  happily  softened 
by  a  luxuriant  vegetation.  A  few  of  the  volcanoes  that  are 
scattered  over  the  surface  of  the  Japanese  archipelago  are 
still  in  activity.  The  most  remarkable  of  all,  on  account 
of  its  outline,  the  beauty  of  its  form,  and  its  isolated  situa- 
tion, is  the  celebrated  Fusiyama,  the  snowy  mass  of  which 
is  so  majestically  enthroned  on  the  horizon  of  Yedo ; — the 
poetical  Fusi,  sung  by  all  the  poets  and  reproduced  by  all 


THE  COUNTRY  5 

the  artists  of  the  capital.  The  affection  of  every  good 
Japanese  for  this  admirable  mountain,  the  highest  in  Japan, 
is  well  known.  Like  Etna,  with  which  it  presents  singular 
analogies,  Fusi  has  no  rival.  It  reigns  over  Japan  as  Etna 
does  over  Sicily. 

Warm  springs  are  abundant,  and  the  vegetative  energy 
indicates  that  the  period  of  volcanic  upheavals  is  not  yet 
very  remote.  The  soil  is  wonderfully  fertile  almost  every- 
where. 

Cascades,  streamlets,  bridges,  mills  and  miniature  lakes 
are  the  necessary  accompaniment  of  every  Japanese  land- 
scape. 

The  chains  of  mountains  that  accentuate  Japan  are  ac- 
companied by  innumerable  valleys,  and  even  by  immense 
plains,  such  as  that  of  Yedo,  in  which  the  Japanese  peasant 
finds  a  generous  soil  from  which  he  can  demand  everything. 

Japanese  cultivation,  although  greatly  laboured,  is  yet 
somewhat  restricted  ;  a  small  number  of  vegetables,  among 
which  are  egg-plants,  roots  and  potatoes ;  watermelons 
figure  in  the  first  rank ;  a  few  species  of  fruit-trees,  mul- 
berries, bamboos,  cotton  trees,  maize,'  hemp,  tobacco, 
indigo,  tea  and  rice,  particularly  rice,  which,  with  fish,  is 
the  dominant,  not  to  say  exclusive,  food  of  Japan.  Gar- 
dening, by  which  I  mean  the  cultivation  of  ornamental 
plants  and  flowers,  is,  on  the  other  hand,  extremely  devel- 
oped. The  Japanese  love  flowers.  The  flowers  have  not 
much  odour,  but  they  attain  magnificent  development  and 
glow  with  hues  unknown  to  us  in  Europe.  Among  the 


6  JAPAN 

most  extraordinary,  we  may  mention  the  giant  chrysanthe- 
mums and  the  rose  nenuphars,  the  calyx  of  which  some- 
times measures  fifty  centimetres  in  diameter. 

The  Japanese  flora  and  fauna  are  similar  to  our  own ; 
many  plants  and  animals  are  common  to  Europe  and  Japan. 
As  for  the  flora,  the  number  of  families  and  genuses  is 
greater  than  ours ;  but  the  varieties  are  infinitely  fewer. 
The  fauna  is  poorer. 

The  centre  of  Japan,  principally  in  the  low  regions  of  the 
Tokaido,  thanks  to  the  development  of  cultivation,  offers 
a  remarkable  mixture  of  the  plants  of  the  temperate  and 
tropical  zones.  There  may  be  seen  the  banana  growing 
side  by  side  with  the  mulberry,  the  orange  with  the  apple, 
the  cotton  tree  with  the  walnut  and  chestnut.  The  edible 
fruits  seem  almost  all  to  be  derived  from  importation  from 
abroad  at  a  historical  period.  The  peach,  cherry,  plum 
and  almond  are  not  indigenous  to  Japan ;  there  they  have 
less  flavour  than  in  Europe.  Pears  attain  enormous  size 
there;  the  apple  is  only  a  wild  fruit;  the  vine,  which 
thrives  in  many  regions,  is  not  yet  used  for  making  wine. 
The  only  fermented  drink  in  use  is  sake  or  rice  brandy 
which  contains  only  a  small  proportion  of  alcohol. 

The  forest  vegetation  is  very  remarkable.  Trees  attain 
colossal  dimensions.  The  soil  is  shaded  everywhere; 
bushes,  ligneous  plants,  creepers  and  tall  grasses  are 
mingled  in  a  picturesque  jumble.  Roads,  paths,  cascades, 
peasants'  houses,  inns  and  temples  seem  to  be  drowned  in 
the  verdure.  The  most  noteworthy  of  the  plants  peculiar 


THE  COUNTRY  7 

ro  Japan  are : — the  Kiri  (Paulonia  imperialii),  the  imperial 
tree,  the  flower  of  which  united  with  that  of  the  chrys- 
anthemum, symbolizes  the  power  of  the  Mikado;  the 
um'e,  or  wild  plum,  an  angular  tree,  covered  with  thorns, 
but  of  most  beautiful  style,  that  grows  everywhere  and 
whose  dazzling  blooms  are  the  messengers  of  spring ;  the 
Sought  (Cryptomeria  japonica)  whose  strange  and  strong 
forms  have  been  often  celebrated  by  European  writers ;  the 
Hinoki  (Retinispora  obtusd)  that  affords  the  most  prized  wood 
for  cabinet-making;  the  Foudzi  (Wysteria  sincusii)  that 
wreathes  the  columns  of  the  temples,  covers  the  straw- 
thatched  roofs  of  the  huts,  and  figures  so  largely  in  the 
poetic  imagination  of  the  Japanese,  as  the  emblem  of  youth 
and  of  the  season  of  flowers  ;  the  Biva,  the  Kaki,  which 
is  the  fruit-tree  par  excellence  of  Japan  ;  and  the  peony 
(Eotan)  which  is  its  most  beautiful  flower.  We  may  also 
mention  the  Rhus  vernicifera^  the  lacquer  tree,  and  the 
Brussonetia  papyrifera^  the  paper  tree.  The  olive  is 
unknown. 

The  flowers  which  the  Japanese  are  most  fond  of  culti- 
vating in  their  gardens  are  orchids,  chrysanthemums, 
camelias,  peonies,  azaleas,  magnolias,  hibiscus,  nenuphars, 
irises,  poppies,  volubilis,  lilies,  begonias,  ferns  and  mosses, 
odd  forms  of  which  they  particularly  esteem.  The  cherry 
is  cultivated  not  for  its  fruit  but  for  its  blossom  which  is 
much  larger  and  more  beautiful  than  that  borne  by  our 
trees.  The  double  cherry  blossom  is  incomparably  mag- 
nificent. 


8  JAPAN 

Neglecting  the  flowers  that  are  known  to  have  been  in- 
troduced from  China  or  Europe,  Savatier  has  classified  the 
flora  of  Japan  in  2,743  species,  grouped  in  1,035  genuses 
and  154  families.  The  number  of  plants  may  be  put  at 
more  than  3,000;  forty-four  genuses  have  not  yet  been 
found  outside  the  Japan  archipelago.  As  to  the  southern 
flora  of  Yezo,  it  is  entirely  different  and  almost  unknown. 
In  the  forests,  the  number  and  mixture  of  species  are  much 
greater  than  in  other  countries  of  the  same  latitude.  The 
virgin  forests  of  Japan,  notwithstanding  the  breaches  al- 
ready made  in  them  by  industry,  are  still  among  the  finest 
in  the  world.  Yezo  is  nothing  but  a  vast  virgin  forest  of 
which  the  wealth  of  timber  fit  for  building  purposes  has 
scarcely  been  touched. 

If  rice  dominates  in  alimentary  cultivation,  the  conif- 
erous and  evergreens  dominate  in  forest  vegetation.  The 
resinous  species  of  Japan  enjoy  universal  celebrity.  The 
pines  and  wild  plums  (um'e}  are  the  most  beautiful  orna- 
ments of  this  region.  The  whole  of  decorate  art  is  to 
some  extent  borrowed  from  the  ingenious,  delicate  and 
learned  study  of  these  most  picturesque  trees.  The  artists 
have  also  made  wonderful  use  of  the  moumidji,  or  American 
oak,  the  leaves  of  which  assume  a  purplish  red  in  Autumn 
and  glow  in  great  masses  in  the  Japanese  landscape;  also  of 
the  bamboo  the  elegant  forms  of  which  lend  themselves  so 
readily  to  their  favourite  combinations.  After  rice,  the 
bamboo  plays  the  chief  part  in  Japanese  life  ;  it  seems  as  if 
the  country  could  not  subsist  without  the  bamboo. 


THE  COUNTRY  9 

It  lends  itself  to  the  most  multifarious  uses  and 
needs. 

After  the  cereals,  the  cultivation  of  the  tea-shrub  oc- 
cupies the  first  rank,  without  being  so  important  or  so  per- 
fect as  in  China.  Tea  is  the  national  drink.  The  shrubs 
are  set  out  in  the  fields,  or  form  hedges ;  they  thrive  well 
everywhere  and  are  very  hardy.  The  best  tea  is  harvested 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kioto ;  as  to  fineness  and  delicacy, 
it  is  inferior  in  quality  to  the  tea  of  China. 

Silk  culture  occupies  the  third  place  in  the  national 
economics.  Japanese  silk  was  already  celebrated  in  Europe 
in  the  Sixteenth  Century.  With  respect  to  suppleness 
of  tissue  and  beauty  of  tone,  it  has  no  rival.  Un- 
fortunately, this  industry  is  in  complete  decadence,  the 
quality  of  the  best  goods  no  longer  appeals  to  foreign  buy- 
ers to  the  same  degree  as  formerly ;  the  Japanese  now  only 
think  about  producing  as  much  as  possible  without  caring 
to  maintain  their  old  superiority.  As  for  the  native  con- 
sumption, it  diminishes  daily  under  the  invasion  of  our 
Jinens  and  cottons. 

The  fauna  of  Japan  offers  few  remarkable  peculiarities. 
Moreover,  it  is  much  poorer  than  the  flora.  Owing  to  the 
density  of  population  and  the  development  of  cultivation, 
Japan  has  preserved  very  few  wild  animals.  The  carnivora 
are  scarcely  represented  except  by  two  species  of  bears,  one 
of  which  lives  almost  exclusively  in  the  isle  of  Yezo.  The 
tiger  exists  only  in  some  of  the  southern  provinces,  and  the 
wolf  has  almost  entirely  disappeared.  A  species  of  wild 


10  JAPAN 

dog  is  also  mentioned  ;  but  the  two  wild  animals  that  are 
common  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  country  are  the  fox 
(Kitsuni),  and  the  badger  (Tanukfy  which  constantly 
appear,  in  popular  legend  and  to  which  the  women's  imagi- 
nation attributes  a  baleful  power.  The  fox  can  assume  the 
human  form.  By  preference,  he  chooses  that  of  a  young 
and  beautiful  woman,  in  order  to  lead  belated  travellers 
astray.  The  credulity  of  the  lower  orders  attributes  the 
most  malicious  annoyances  to  him.  It  is  certain  that  he 
devastates  the  poultry-yards  and  rice-fields,  where  at  his  ease 
he  can  visit  during  the  night  the  little  tabernacles  of  Inari, 
the  god  of  rice.  The  Japanese  custom  of  offering  food  to 
their  divinities  attracts  Mr.  Renard  and  furnishes  him  with 
excellent  repasts.  The  astute  animal  is  so  closely  identi- 
fied with  the  peaceable  god  of  the  fields  that  every  little 
temple  (jaciro)  is  flanked  by  two  foxes  coarsely  carved  in 
stone  or  wood,  which  has  led  some  European  writers  to  be- 
lieve that  the  Japanese  worship  the  fox  under  the  name  of 
Inari.  For  his  part,  the  badger  can  metamorphose  himself 
into  inanimate  objects  and  kitchen  furniture  and  utensils. 
He  is  fond  of  the  porridge  pot.  A  very  popular  legend  that 
has  very  often  inspired  the  artists  relates  that  one  day  a 
merchant  bought  a  big  porridge  pot.  Having  been  set  on 
the  fire,  it  put  out  a  tail,  four  paws  and  a  head,  and  then 
took  to  precipitate  flight. 

The  boar  and  monkey  are  rather  common.  Rodents 
swarm.  The  rat  is  the  emblem  of  fortune.  It  is  always 
represented  with  Daikoku,  the  god  of  wealth.  Animals 


THE  COUNTRY  1 1 

with  prized  furs  abound  in  the  island  of  Yezo;  but  the 
Japanese  have  scarcely  begun  to  take  advantage  of  the 
natural  resources  of  that  island.  The  rabbit  and  hare  are 
very  rare.  A  few  years  ago,  rabbits  imported  from  Europe 
commanded  fabulous  prices. 

All  the  domestic  animals,  except  the  dog,  came  from 
China.  The  ass  is  unknown.  The  ox  is  employed  in 
field  work ;  but,  until  the  arrival  of  the  Europeans,  the 
Japanese  had  not  thought  of  using  its  flesh  as  food.  The 
horse  alone  has  any  real  importance  in  the  normal  life  of 
the  people.  It  is  reserved  for  the  saddle  and  pack,  the 
drawing  of  all  kinds  of  vehicles  being  confined  to  men. 
The  sole  indigenous  equine  race  is  that  of  the  Satsouma 
ponies.  They  are  small,  fiery  and  difficult  to  manage. 
Their  mane  is  short  and  bristling,  and  they  are  strong 
necked  and  have  a  long  and  flowing  tail. 

The  Japanese  ride  only  entire  horses.  They  have  great 
veneration  for  the  horses  of  great  personages.  On  the 
death  of  a  prince  or  a  warrior,  a  talented  artist  is  commis- 
sioned to  paint  the  portrait  of  his  favourite  horse  with  a  few 
rapid  strokes.  These  little  pictures,  called  yemas^  are 
piously  preserved  by  the  friends,  or  descendants  of  the  de- 
ceased. At  Nikko,  people  still  visit  the  chapel  erected  to 
the  battle-horse  of  Tokugawa  lyeyasu. 

The  ornithological  and  entomological  wealth  of  Japan  is 
very  considerable.  The  various  species  of  birds  present 
much  analogy  with  those  of  our  temperate  regions.  The 
most  richly  represented  are  the  ducks,  wild  geese,  cranes, 


12  JAPAN 

herons,  and  generally  all  the  long-legged  birds.  Pheasants 
and  peacocks  are  reared  in  gardens,  as  with  us.  The  gal- 
linacae  offer  superb  types,  and  the  Japanese  cocks  enjoy  a 
well-deserved  reputation.  As  for  insects  and  butterflies, 
they  abound  throughout  Japan. 

The  marine  fauna  is  no  less  numerous.  The  waters  of 
Japan  afford  fishing  innumerable  resources  which,  it  is 
true,  have  somewhat  diminished  in  certain  parts  of  the  sea, 
but  in  many  others  have  scarcely  begun  to  be  exploited. 
One  may  say  that  Japan  is  a  nation  of  fish-eaters.  Fish 
cooked,  salted,  smoked  or  dried  is  the  basis  of  the  food  of 
the  people,  and  the  fish  is  of  excellent  quality.  There  are 
very  few  differences  between  the  Japanese  species  and  our 
own.  In  general,  the  principal  difference  is  that  they  are 
much  larger ;  the  crustaceans  are  more  varied  and  abundant. 
There  are  crabs  of  gigantic  size.  Siebold,  who  studied  the 
flora  and  fauna  of  Japan  with  great  enthusiasm,  mentions 
one  species  with  long  tentacles  measuring  no  less  than  sixty 
inches.  A  sketch  (natural  size)  of  this  species  is  preserved 
in  the  ethnological  museum  at  Leyden. 

Among  the  reptiles,  we  must  mention  a  very  odd 
animal,  and  one  very  celebrated  in  Europe  since  a  specimen 
was  brought  to  one  of  the  zoological  establishments  of 
Italy, — the  giant  salamander,  Sieboldia  maxima  (in  Japanese, 
Sanzio  Ouvo),  which  is  found  in  some  of  the  central 
provinces  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lake  Biwa. 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES 
Relief  of  the  Land — Highlands — Volcanoes 

A.  H.  KEANE 

THE  Japanese  archipelago  is  "an  advanced  frontier 
of  Asia  "  consisting  for  the  most  part  of  very  old 
sedimentary  rocks,  deposited,  like  the  mainland 
itself,  in  deep  water  in  palaeozoic  times,  and  upheaved,  like 
so  many  other  mountain  systems  by  lateral  pressure  due  to 
the  gradual  shrinkage  of  the  earth's  crust  through  secular 
cooling.  Doubtless,  extensive  longitudinal  fissures  were 
left,  through  which  igneous  matter  was  ejected  in  later 
ages.  But  although  most  of  the  loftiest  summits  are  extinct 
craters,  volcanic  agencies  have  on  the  whole  played  a  rela- 
tively small  part  in  the  geological  history  of  Japan.  If  the 
archipelago  be  compared,  with  the  old  geographers,  to 
garlands  of  flowers,  then  the  volcanoes  may  be  likened  to 
small  pearls  threaded  among  these  garlands. 

The  neighbouring  Pacific  waters  are  the  deepest  that  have 
yet  been  anywhere  sounded  ;  but  they  shoal  somewhat  grad- 
ually towards  the  east  coast,  while  the  incline  is  still  more 
gentle  in  the  comparatively  shallow  sea  of  Japan  on  the  west 
side.  Above  these  waters  rise  the  Japanese  uplands,  which 
cover  the  greater  part  of  the  surface,  and  which,  viewed  as  a 

13 


14  JAPAN 

single  orographic  system,  are  found  to  consist  of  a  long 
series  of  folds  running  normally  in  the  direction  of  the  main 
axis  of  the  Archipelago.  But  towards  the  central  and 
widest  part  of  Hondo,  a  great  transversal  cleft,  Naumann's 
Fossa  Magna,  marks  off  an  area  of  profound  disturbance  be- 
tween the  northern  and  southern  sections  of  the  system. 
For  some  distance  north  of  this  cross  fissure,  above  which 
rises  Fujiyama,  culminating  point  of  the  Archipelago 
(12,425  feet),  the  folds  curve  round  so  as  to  run  for  the 
most  part  transversely  to  the  insular  trend,  but  resume  the 
normal  direction  about  thirty-eight  degrees  north  latitude, 
between  Sado  Island  and  Sendai  Bay. 

During  its  long  life  above  the  marine  waters,  the  original 
structure  of  the  Japanese  highlands  has  been  somewhat  ob- 
literated by  weathering,  denudation,  erosive  action,  me- 
chanical pressure,  and  igneous  agencies.  Nevertheless, 
these  primitive  zones — an  outer  towards  the  Pacific,  a 
median,  and  an  inner  facing  the  mainland — may  still  be 
distinguished,  and  are  somewhat  clearly  marked,  especially 
in  the  southern  section  south  of  the  Fossa  Magna.  Here, 
the  outer  zone  traverses  the  islands  of  Kiushiu  and  Shi- 
koku,  and  the  Kii  and  Akaishi  districts  of  Hondo,  rising  to 
a  height  of  over  7,700  feet  in  Shi-koku,  and  to  about 
10,000  near  the  transverse  fissure.  Beyond  this  point,  it  is 
continued  at  intervals  by  the  Quinto,  Abukuma  and  Kita- 
kami  mountain  masses. 

In  the  south,  the  median  zone  is  now  represented  by  the 
innumerable  rocky  islets  of  the  Inland  Sea,  a  vast  flooded 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES  15 

depression  disposed  in  the  normal  direction  between  the 
outer  and  inner  zones.  North  of  the  Fossa  Magna,  this 
basin  is  continued  by  a  median  range  with  crests  6,000  feet 
high,  extending  to  Awomori  Bay  at  the  northern  extremity 
of  Hondo,  and  bearing  numerous  igneous  cones.  Both  in 
the  north  and  in  the  extreme  south  (Kiushiu),  the  median 
zone  is  the  chief  sphere  of  volcanic  activity  in  the  Ar- 
chipelago, and  here  are  accumulated  enormous  masses  of 
erupted  rocks. 

Lastly,  the  inner  zone,  skirting  the  shores  of  the  sea  of 
Japan,  is  of  a  more  fragmentary  character,  its  most  salient 
feature  being  isolated  volcanoes  rising  above  circular  basins 
formed  by  abrupt  depressions.  Such  are  the  Sanpei  and 
Daisen  basins  in  the  south  facing  the  Oki  Islands,  in  the 
north  those  of  Gassan,  Chokai,  Moriyoshi,  and  Iwaki,  ex- 
tending from  near  the  parallel  of  Sado  Island  to  Sangar 
(Sugara)  Strait,  between  Hondo  and  Yezo. 

In  Yesso  (Yezo)  exploration  has  been  greatly  retarded  by 
the  absence  of  roads  through  the  trackless  forests  covering 
the  greater  part  of  the  interior.  The  whole  surface  is 
hilly  and  in  parts  mountainous,  the  highest  peaks  being 
Shribetsi  in  the  south  (7,874  feet) ;  Unabetsu  in  the  north- 
east (5,039) ;  Ofuyu  in  the  west  coast  (6,000) ;  Ishikari 
(7,710)  and  Tokachi  (8,200)  near  the  centre.  Both  old 
and  recent  eruptive  rocks  occur,  as  in  Hondo  ;  but  sedi- 
mentary formations  seem  to  predominate,  developing  nu- 
merous ridges  of  moderate  elevation.  The  narrow  inter- 
vening valleys  are  watered  by  small  streams,  which  do  not 


16  JAPAN 

converge  in  any  large  fluvial  basins,  but  for  the  most  part 
find  their  way  in  independent  channels  to  the  coast. 
These  rivers  teem  with  salmon,  while  the  immense  forests 
contain  much  valuable  timber — oak,  elm,  walnut,  birch  and 
maple — which  might  be  exported  at  a  profit.  Coal 
abounds,  and  the  mines  opened  at  Sorachi  are  now  con- 
nected by  a  railway  with  the  coast.  Yezo  has  an  area  of 
86,880  square  miles. 

In  Hondo,  the  main  axis  towards  the  middle  of  the 
island  recedes  somewhat  from  the  east  coast,  where  is  de- 
veloped an  alluvial  lowland  district  watered  by  numerous 
streams,  and  occupied  by  Tokio  (Yedo),  capital  of  the 
empire.  But  west  and  south  of  this  district  the  hills  attain 
their  greatest  elevation  in  Mounts  Nantai  (8,195  feet),  As- 
ama  (8,260),  Haku  (9,185),  and  the  magnificent  snow- 
capped cone  of  Fujiyama  (12,400).  The  latter  rises  in 
solitary  grandeur  some  seventy  miles  south-west  of  Tokio, 
and  is  visible  in  clear  weather  for  a  distance  of  nearly  one 
hundred  miles.  It  has  been  quiescent  since  the  year  1707. 
But  although  the  highest,  Fujiyama  is  not  the  largest  vol- 
cano in  Japan.  This  honour  is  claimed  by  Asosan,  in 
Kiushiu,  twenty  miles  from  Kumamoto,  the  crater  of 
which  is  said  by  Milne  to  be  twelve  miles  in  diameter,  and 
consequently  larger  than  Mauna  Loa,  hitherto  supposed  to 
be  the  largest  in  the  world. 

The  Asama-yama  occupies  a  somewhat  central  position 
to  the  north-west  of  Tokio.  From  its  crater,  1,000  feet 
across,  this  volcano  emits  constant  volumes  of  smoke  and 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES  17 

vapour,  and  from  its  summit  a  magnificent  prospect  is  com- 
manded of  the  surrounding  country. 

Other  superb  cones  are  Chokai-san  on  the  north-west 
coast  of  Hondo,  and  Tateyama,  one  of  the  most  con- 
spicuous and  loftly  peaks  (nearly  10,000  feet)  of  the 
Shinano  Hida  range,  towards  the  northern  extremity  of  the 
Fossa  Magna.  Like  Fusiyama,  near  the  southern  extrem- 
ity, it  is  a  famous  place  of  pilgrimage ;  and  both  command 
magnificent  prospects  of  the  surrounding  lands  and  seas. 
Except  a  few  hot  springs  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  there 
are  no  traces  of  recent  volcanic  action  on  Chokai-san  ;  but 
on  the  western  slope  of  Tateyama  is  the  largest  and  most 
interesting  solfatara  in  the  Archipelago.  "  The  Japanese 
call  it  Figoku,  '  Hell,'  and  no  place  in  the  whole  world  could 
remind  one  more  of  the  infernal  regions.  From  hundreds 
of  openings,  steam  is  emitted  with  a  shrill,  hissing  noise, 
and  sulphurous  vapours  belch  forth  in  large  volumes.  At 
the  edge  of  the  solfatara,  I  found  some  small  mud  volca- 
noes in  regular  action.  In  some  of  the  openings  grew 
graceful  flower-like  cups  of  a  beautiful  yellow  colour,  formed 
of  minute  and  beautiful  crystals  of  sulphur,  one  of  which, 
was  about  six  feet  high  "  (Naumann). 

Although  many  of  the  volcanoes  have  been  in  eruption 
during  the  historic  period,  nearly  all  are  now  extinct,  or  at 
least  quiescent.  But  in  1878,  Naumann  witnessed  a 
tremendous  outbreak  on  the  island  of  Oshima  at  the  en- 
trance of  Tokio  Bay.  From  a  small  cone  springing  from 
the  floor  of  a  huge  circular  crater,  a  column  of  fire  was 


i8  JAPAN 

projected  into  the  air  to  a  height  of  1,000  feet,  while 
masses  of  molten  lava  streamed  down  the  slopes. 

But  if  eruptions  are  rare,  earthquakes  are  all  the  more 
frequent,  one  might  almost  say  of  daily  occurrence,  although 
seldom  of  a  violent  character. 

Since  the  opening  of  the  country  to  foreign  intercourse, 
however,  two  very  destructive  disturbances  haye  been 
recorded,  that  of  the  Tokio  district  on  22d  February,  1880, 
and  the  still  more  violent  convulsions  of  the  Mino  and 
Owari  providences  which  began  on  28th  October,  1891, 
and  continued  till  the  end  of  March,  1892,  as  many  as 
2,588  shocks  being  felt  at  Gifu,  and  1,495  at  Nagoya. 
This  event  was  felt  over  an  area  of  50,000  square  miles, 
or  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  Japanese  Archipelago,  and  in  the 
central  parts  its  effect  was  greatly  to  modify  the  topography 
of  the  country,  rendering  existing  surveys  quite  useless  in 
some  districts.  On  the  plain  near  Nagoya,  the  ground  was 
riven  with  myriads  of  fissures,  small  mud  volcanoes  being 
thrown  up  along  the  Shonigawa  River,  where  a  bamboo 
grove  slid  sixty  feet  back,  the  trees  remaining  upright. 
Gifu  was  nearly  ruined,  and  every  house  was  overthrown 
in  the  continuous  street,  twenty  miles  long,  running  thence 
to  Nagoya.  Several  other  places  shared  the  same  fate,  and 
even  greater  havoc  was  wrought  in  the  hilly  Mino  district, 
traversed  for  forty  miles  by  a  new  line  of  fault,  where 
everything  lying  near  the  great  throws  of  shale  was  des- 
troyed. The  solid  ground  became  for  a  time  like  a  sea  of 
waves,  the  destruction  being  complete  in  the  epicentric 


PHYSICAL  FEATURES  19 

district,  4,200  square  miles  in  extent.  Near  Kimbara,  in 
the  Neo  basin,  the  sides  of  the  valley  slid  into  the  river, 
and  in  the  upper  reaches  a  great  part  of  the  mountain 
slopes  glided  down  to  the  lowlands.  One  result  of  the 
earthquake  was  the  formation  of  a  huge  fissure,  which  was 
traced  for  over  forty  miles  through  the  Neo  valley  from 
Katabira  to  Fukui  in  Echizen,  cutting  across  hills  and 
paddy-fields,  and  raising  the  soft  earth  into  a  ridge,  like  the 
track  of  a  gigantic  mole.  "  The  old  Japanese  idea  that 
earthquakes  are  caused  by  the  burrowing  of  a  gigantic 
insect  might  well  be  suggested  by  such  a  phenomenon." 

Hydrography — Rivers  and  Lakes. — The  lofty  range 
stretching  southwards  from  Mount  Asama  forms  the  water 
parting  between  the  Pacific  and  the  Sea  of  Japan.  But 
owing  to  the  disposition  of  the  mountain  system,  covering 
probably  nine-tenths  of  the  whole  surface,  no  room  is  left 
for  the  development  of  large  rivers.  Those  that  do  exist 
bear  somewhat  the  character  of  mountain  torrents  with 
very  rapid  courses,  and  are  liable  to  sudden  and  disastrous 
floodings  in  their  lower  reaches.  Hence  they  are  almost 
more  damaging  than  beneficial  even  for  irrigation  purposes. 
To  navigation,  they  are  not  merely  useless,  but  a  positive 
hindrance,  owing  to  the  large  quantities  of  sedimentary 
matter  which  they  bring  down,  and  with  which  some  of  the 
best  harbours  in  the  country  have  been  gradually  filled  in. 
Such  has  especially  been  the  fate  of  Osaka  and  Niigata 
harbours,  formerly  accessible  to  the  largest  vessels,  but 
which  can  now  be  approached  only  by  small  craft.  In 


20  JAPAN 

Japan,  "  a  river  bed  is  a  waste  of  sand,  boulders  and  shingle^ 
through  the  middle  of  which,  among  sandbanks  and  shal- 
lows, the  river  proper  takes  its  devious  course.  In  the 
freshets,  which  occur  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  every  year, 
enormous  volumes  of  water  pour  over  these  wastes,  carry- 
ing sand  and  detritus  down  to  the  mouths,  which  are  all 
obstructed  by  bars.  Of  these  rivers,  the  Shinano,  being 
the  biggest,  is  the  most  refractory  and  has  piled  up  a  bar  at 
its  entrance  through  which  there  is  only  a  passage  seven 
feet  deep,  which  is  perpetually  shallowing.  "  l 

Of  the  few  lakes,  none  is  of  any  size  except  Biwa,  a 
magnificent  sheet  of  water  some  forty-five  miles  long,  with 
a  mean  breadth  of  about  ten  miles.  Biwa,  which  is 
traversed  by  the  river  Yodo,  lies  within  eight  miles  of 
Kioto,  the  ancient  capital  of  the  Mikados,  who  usually 
spent  the  summer  months  with  their  suites  on  its  romantic 
banks.  It  is  closed  north  and  west  by  lofty  forest  covered 
mountains,  and  elsewhere  skirted  by  an  open  highly-culti- 
vated country  dotted  over  with  numerous  villages  and  tea- 
houses, the  resort  of  pleasure-seekers  from  all  parts.  Its 
clear  waters,  which  abound  in  fish,  are  enlivened  by  fleets 
of  tiny  craft,  including  probably  one  hundred  small  steam- 
ers always  crowded  with  passengers. 

bishop,  Unbeaten  Tracks  in  Japan  (London,  1880). 


THE  JAPANESE  RACE 

JEAN  JACQUES  ELISEE  RECLUS 

THE  dominant  people  in  Japan  are  evidently  a  mixed 
race,  in  which  the  Aino  element  is  but  slightly 
represented.  According  to  the  prepossession  of 
observers,  they  have  been  affiliated  to  various  stocks  ;  but 
although  Whitney  and  Morton  regard  them  as  members  of 
the  Caucasic  family,  most  anthropologists  class  them  with 
the  Mongol  races  of  Siberia  and  East  Asia.  The  Chinese 
records  referring  to  the  land  of  Wo,  that  is,  of  Japan, 
before  the  inhabitants  were  acquainted  with  the  art  of 
writing,  mention  certain  facts  attesting  the  preponderating 
influence  of  Chinese  civilization  even  at  that  remote  epoch. 
Migrations  must  have  taken  place  from  the  Yang-tze 
basin  to  the  adjacent  archipelago,  and  according  to  one 
legend  the  ancestors  of  the  Japanese  race  were  three  hun- 
dred young  men  and  women  sent  across  the  seas  by  the 
Emperor  Tsin-Shi-hwangti  in  search  of  the  flower  of  im- 
mortality. Many  have  suspected  the  presence  of  the  Malay 
elements  amongst  the  inhabitants  of  Nippon,  while  the 
curly  hair  and  dark  complexion  common  in  the  south  have 
been  referred  by  Siebold  to  a  mixture  with  "Alfuros," 
Melanesians  and  Caroline  Islanders.  Vessels  may  certainly 
have  often  drifted  northwards  with  the  equatorial  current 
and  the  Kuro-sivo,  and  it  is  possible  that  Japan  may  have 

21 


22  JAPAN 

in  this  way  been  peopled  from  the  Pacific  or  East  Indian 
Archipelagoes. 

Ethnologists  have  attempted  to  describe  the  character- 
istic Japanese  type.  But  although  at  first  sight  few  differ- 
ences are  detected,  foreigners  residing  in  the  country  soon 
begin  to  distinguish  two  distinct  types,  which  correspond 
partly  to  two  social  classes,  and  which  the  native  artists 
have  at  all  times  reproduced  and  even  exaggerated.  These 
types  are  those  of  the  peasants  and  the  aristocracy.  The 
features  of  the  peasant  approach  nearest  to  those  of  the 
East  Asiatic  peoples.  He  has  the  same  broad,  flat  face, 
crushed  nose,  low  brow,  prominent  cheek  bones,  half-open 
mouth,  small  black  and  oblique  eyes.  He  is  best  repre- 
sented in  the  northern  division  of  Hondo,  in  the  low-lying 
plain  of  Tonegava  and  on  the  highlands  stretching  west  of 
Kioto.  The  nobles  are  distinguished  by  their  lighter  com- 
plexion, more  pliant  and  less  vigorous  body,  more  elongated 
head,  elevated  brow  and  oval  face.  The  cheek  bones  are 
but  slightly  prominent,  the  nose  aquiline,  mouth  small,  eyes 
very  small  and  apparently  oblique.  Artists  have  accepted 
this  aristocratic  type  as  the  ideal  of  beauty,  transferring  it 
to  their  gods  and  heroes,  and  exaggerating  it  in  their  por- 
traits of  women.  Being  found  chiefly  in  the  Kioto  district 
and  on  the  slope  facing  the  Pacific,  it  has  been  argued  that 
these  features  belonged  to  a  conquering  "  Polynesian " 
element  from  the  eastern  islands.  But  all  shades  of  tradi- 
tion are  now  found  between  the  two  extremes,  and  owing 
to  crossings  and  shiftings  of  fortune  many  of  the  nobles 


JAPANESE   PRIESTS. 


THE  JAPANESE  RACE  23 

might  be  taken  for  plebeians,  while  the  oval  face  and 
aquiline  nose  of  the  aristocracy  are  often  found  amongst 
the  lower  classes.  On  the  whole,  the  Japanese  face,  with 
its  olive  complexion,  lozenge  shape  and  receding  brow,  is 
far  from  answering  to  the  Western  ideal  of  beauty,  and  to 
most  foreigners  seems  decidedly  plain.  But  this  plainness 
in  the  case  of  the  women  is  often  counterbalanced  by  a 
graceful  carriage,  charming  expression  and  tender  glance. 
Those  of  Kioto  and  the  southern  regions  bear  the  palm  for 
beauty  in  the  estimation  both  of  natives  and  foreigners. 
Amongst  the  Samurai  aristocracy  many  beardless  youths 
betray  a  surprising  resemblance  to  young  women. 

To  whatever  class  they  may  belong,  all  the  Japanese  are 
of  low  stature,  averaging  from  five  feet  to  five  feet  two 
inches  in  the  men,  and  under  five  feet  in  the  women.  The 
lower  orders  are  mostly  robust,  broad-shouldered,  very 
straight,  and  endowed  with  a  remarkable  power  of  endur- 
ance. The  Japanese  coolie  will  carry  a  heavy  load  at  a 
rapid  pace  for  hours  together,  without  stopping  even  when 
ascending  steep  mountain  passes.  Attendants  on  foot  keep 
up  with  their  master's  horse  crossing  the  country  at  full 
gallop,  and  the  acrobats  are  unsurpassed  in  strength  and 
activity  by  those  of  the  west.  A  tendency  to  obesity  is 
found  only  amongst  the  wrestlers,  amongst  whom  the 
Mongolian  type  seems,  by  a  sort  of  atavism,  to  be  pre- 
served to  a  surprising  degree.  The  artisans  and  peasantry 
are  generally  well-proportioned,  except  that  they  are  often 
knock-kneed,  a  defect  due  to  the  way  children  are  carried 


24  JAPAN 

on  their  mothers'  backs.  They  also  become  prematurely 
aged,  both  sexes  being  usually  covered  with  wrinkles  about 
their  thirtieth  year,  and  retaining  of  youth  little  beyond 
their  white  teeth  and  fiery  glance. 

The  prevailing  malady  is  anemia,  which  sooner  or  later 
affects  four-fifths  of  the  whole  population,  and  which  is 
attributed  to  the  almost  exclusive  use  of  rice  and  vegetables, 
possessing  little  albumen  and  fat. 

It  is  no  longer  obligatory  to  wear  the  national  dress,  and 
in  their  eagerness  to  imitate  foreign  ways,  the  lettered  and 
trading  classes  have  adopted  the  European  costume,  which, 
although  very  unbecoming,  has  the  advantage  of  helping 
to  get  rid  of  the  old  class  distinctions.  Formerly  the  style 
and  colours  of  the  clothes  worn  by  both  sexes  in  every 
social  position  were  strictly  regulated  by  law  or  custom. 
The  usual  material  was  cotton,  silk  being  reserved  for  the 
rich,  or  for  grand  occasions.  The  Kimono,  or  robe  of  the 
women,  differs  only  in  its  greater  length  and  brilliancy  from 
that  of  the  men.  In  both  the  wide  sleeves  serve  as  pockets, 
and  are  usually  filled  with  rolls  of  paper  used  as  handker- 
chiefs, or  table-napkins.  Hence  also  "  sleeve  editions  " 
answering  to  our  small  "  pocket  editions  "  of  books.  The 
costume  is  completed  by  a  skirt  in  the  upper  classes,  or 
drawers  amongst  the  poor,  while  several  robes  are  worn 
one  over  the  other  in  cold  weather.  During  the  rainy 
season,  the  artisans  and  peasantry  cover  their  clothes  with 
straw  or  oil  paper  cloaks.  All  except  the  coolies  and 
couriers  wear  the  so-called  hata,  high  wooden  clogs,  which 


THE  JAPANESE  RACE  25 

require  great  care  in  walking,  and  are  even  the  cause  of 
nervous  affections.  The  European  boot  is  ill-suited  for 
the  muddy  streets,  and  indoors  they  walk  bare-footed  on 
the  fine  matting  of  the  floors.  The  head-dress,  especially 
of  the  fair  sex,  is  quite  a  work  of  art  and  much  patient 
labour,  consisting  of  a  vast  chignon  of  real  and  artificial 
hair,  cunningly  devised,  and  over  which  many  hours  are 
usually  spent.  Being  unable  to  afford  all  this  time  every 
day,  women  engaged  in  work  have  their  hair  dressed  once 
or  twice  a  week  only,  and  in  order  not  to  disturb  the  elab- 
orate superstructure,  they  are  obliged  to  sleep  with  the 
neck  resting  on  a  wooden  pillow,  so  as  to  keep  the  head 
free  from  contact  with  the  bed-clothes.  A  white  cosmetic 
on  the  face  and  neck,  crimson  on  the  cheeks,  the  eyebrows 
blackened,  the  lips  covered  with  gold  leaf,  and  the  teeth 
with  a  brown  pigment,  and  the  toilet  of  the  high-born 
lady  of  the  olden  times  may  be  pronounced  completed. 

Tattooing  has  been  almost  entirely  abandoned  by  the 
women  of  all  classes,  and  its  use,  even  by  the  men,  has 
now  been  forbidden  by  the  Government.  We  learn  from 
Matoualin  that  the  nobles  were  formerly  more  richly  deco- 
rated than  the  plebeians.  But  in  recent  times  the  most 
elaborate  art  has  been  lavished  on  the  couriers  and  others, 
obliged,  by  their  occupation,  to  appear  almost  naked  in 
public.  These  designs,  mostly  in  red,  white  and  blue, 
are  diversely  interlaced  without  any  symmetrical  arrange- 
ment, but  always  with  great  taste,  so  that  a  graceful  pro- 
portion is  observed  between  the  birds,  dragons,  flowers  and 


26  JAPAN 

other  more  conspicuous  objects.  Thus  a  tree  will  be  rep- 
resented with  its  roots  twined  round  the  right  foot,  the 
stem  growing  up  the  left  leg,  and  covering  the  back  or 
breast  with  its  outspread  leafy  branches,  on  which  are 
perched  birds  of  various  kinds. 

Made  up  as  they  are  of  so  many  heterogeneous  elements, 
it  is  extremely  difficult  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the 
Japanese  people,  and  the  difficulty  is  increased  by  their 
consciousness  that  they  are  just  now,  so  to  say,  on  their 
trial.  They  are  consequently  apt  to  assume  false  airs ; 
and  as  they  have  endeavoured  to  assimilate  themselves  out- 
wardly to  Europeans,  by  adopting  a  foreign  garb,  they,  in 
the  same  way,  affect  the  manners  and  tone  of  a  nation 
long  accustomed  to  Western  culture.  Except,  perhaps, 
certain  tribes  of  the  New  World,  no  people  have  developed 
to  a  higher  degree  the  faculty  of  concealing  their  inward 
sentiments  and  preserving  their  equanimity  under  the  most 
trying  circumstances.  Extremely  reserved  and  sensitive  to 
the  opinion  of  others,  they  speak  only  after  having  well 
weighed  their  words,  and  maintain  a  sort  of  self-restraint 
in  the  presence  of  Europeans.  Many  officials  have  even 
taken  to  blue  or  coloured  spectacles,  in  order  the  better  to 
conceal  their  inmost  thoughts;  and  even  among  themselves 
their  outward  indications  of  anger,  contempt,  affection,  or 
other  strong  passions,  are  singularly  moderate,  compared 
with  the  vehemence  of  many  Western  peoples.  They 
suffer  impassively  without  wringing  their  hands  in  despair, 
or  appealing  to  the  Deity  with  outstretched  arms  and 


THE  JAPANESE  RACE  27 

upturned  eyes.  They  have  learnt  from  Europeans  the 
custom  of  shaking  hands,  but  it  never  approaches  the 
hearty  grasp  of  an  Englishman.  Mothers  even  rarely 
embrace  their  children  ;  and  this  general  reserve  extends 
even  to  the  demented  classes,  so  that  a  "  dangerous  luna- 
tic "  is  almost  an  unheard-of  phenomenon  in  Nippon. 

The  very  effort  to  make  a  good  appearance  in  the  eyes 
of  strangers  speaks  highly  in  favour  of  this  interesting 
people.  The  are  essentially  kind-hearted,  and  nothing  is 
rarer  than  instances  of  men  rendered  arrogant  by  their 
social  position,  and  treating  those  beneath  them  with  harsh- 
ness. Those  in  the  enjoyment  of  power  and  privilege 
seek  rather  to  avoid  envy  by  their  courtesy  and  considera- 
tion for  others  less  favoured  by  fortune.  No  one,  whatever 
his  rank,  assumes  that  haughty  air  which  so  many  function- 
aries great  and  small,  elsewhere  regard  as  their  most  highly 
prized  prerogative.  From  the  custom  of  bowing  gracefully 
to  each  other,  the  Japanese  have  gradually  acquired  a 
natural  attitude  of  deference,  while  the  expression  of  the 
features  generally  reflects  their  kindly  disposition.  Even 
under  extreme  suffering,  patients  preserve  a  mild  glance 
and  endearing  tone.  This  innate  amiability,  conspicuous 
especially  in  the  fair  sex,  is  usually  accompanied  by  the 
domestic  virtues  of  temperance,  order,  thrift,  and  common 
sense.  The  young  women  united  by  temporary  alliances 
with  Europeans,  as  is  the  custom  of  the  country,  seldom 
fail  to  ingratiate  themselves  with  them  by  their  careful 
forethought,  assiduous  attention,  and  orderly  management 


28  JAPAN 

of  the  household.  Strangers  are  surprised  at  the  cheerful- 
ness and  calm  resignation  of  the  hard-working  labouring 
classes,  who  adapt  themselves  to  everything,  and  submit 
uncomplainingly  to  the  greatest  hardships  and  privations. 
Yet  this  resignation  cannot  be  attributed  to  the  want  of  a 
higher  ideal.  The  eagerness  with  which  the  European 
arts  and  sciences  have  been  welcomed  shows  how  keen  is 
the  desire  of  progress  amongst  all  classes. 

The  Japanese  are  now  committed  to  the  new  social  evo- 
lution by  a  sense  of  honour,  which  has  ever  been  one  of 
their  main  springs  of  action.  The  practice  of  barakiri,  or 
sappuku^  maintained  for  centuries  among  the  nobles,  attests 
the  strength  of  will  with  which  they  are  capable  of  assert- 
ing their  personal  dignity.  Although  not  of  native  growth 
— for  frequent  mention  is  made  of  it  in  the  Chinese  annals — 
this  custom  has  nowhere  else  become  a  national  institution. 
Whether  commanded  by  the  Government  in  order  to  spare 
the  nobleman  a  dishonourable  death,  or  voluntarily  per- 
formed in  order  to  be  indirectly  avenged  on  an  opponent 
by  compelling  him  to  give  life  for  life,  the  act  was  always 
executed  with  scrupulous  nicety. 

The  history  of  the  forty-seven  ronin,  so  determined  in 
exacting  vengeance  for  the  murder  of  their  master,  so 
heroic  in  their  self-sacrifice,  is  the  most  widely  known  in 
the  country,  and  the  graves  of  these  daring  men  are  still 
piously  tended  by  the  citizens  of  the  imperial  capital.  The 
recent  wars  and  revolutions  also  show  that  the  people  have 
not  degenerated  from  the  prowess  of  their  forefathers,  and 


THE  JAPANESE  RACE  29 

we  may  rest  assured  that  should  Russia  or  any  other 
Western  power  become  engaged  in  hostilities  with  them, 
it  will  meet  with  a  formidable  adversary.  Hitherto  the 
European  powers  have  obtained  easy  triumphs  over  most 
Eastern  nations,  thanks  to  the  superiority  of  their  arma- 
ments and  discipline.  But  the  Japanese  people  are  not 
one  of  those  which  will  henceforth  allow  themselves  to  be 
conquered  without  a  struggle,  nor  will  civilization  have  to 
deplore  the  disgraceful  subjection  of  40,000,000  human 
beings  who  are  rapidly  placing  themselves  on  a  level  with 
the  most  advanced  states  of  Christendom. 

While  recognizing  the  superiority  of  European  science 
and  industry,  the  Japanese  are  none  the  less,  in  certain 
respects  even  more,  civilized  than  their  foreign  instructors. 
In  all  that  regards  frugality,  self-respect,  the  sentiment  of 
honour,  mutual  kindness  and  consideration,  the  mass  of  the 
people  certainly  stand  on  a  higher  level  than  most  Western 
peoples.  The  humblest  Japanese  peasant  has  an  eye  open  to 
the  wild  grandeur  and  softer  charms  of  the  landscape,  and 
takes  care  to  build  his  hut  by  the  sparkling  stream,  in  the 
shade  of  a  leafy  thicket,  or  on  an  eminence  commanding  a  fair 
prospect  of  the  surrounding  scenery.  His  lowly  dwelling 
is  even  usually  adorned  with  flowering  plants  tastefully  dis- 
posed. The  country  is  not  allowed  to  be  disfigured  by 
wayside  inns  erected  on  incongruous  sites,  and  during  the 
fine  weather  groups  rather  of  tourists  than  pilgrims  are 
everywhere  met  visiting  the  districts  famous  for  their 
romantic  beauty. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN 

BASIL  HALL  CHAMBERLAIN 

THE  continuity  of  the  Japanese  mythology  and  his- 
tory has  been  fully  recognized  by  the  leading  native 
commentators,  whose  opinions  are  those  consid- 
ered orthodox  by  modern  Shintoists,  and  they  draw  from  it 
the  conclusion  that  everything  in  the  standard  national  his- 
tories must  be  accepted  as  literal  truth, — the  supernatural 
equally  with  the  natural.  But  the  general  habit  of  the 
more  sceptical  Japanese  of  the  present  day,  that  is  to  say, 
of  ninety-nine  out  of  every  hundred  of  the  educated,  is  to 
reject  or  rather  ignore  the  legends  of  the  gods,  while  im- 
plicitly believing  the  legends  of  the  emperors,  from  Jimmu 
Tenno,  in  B.  c.  600,  downwards.  For  so  arbitrary  a  dis- 
tinction there  is  not  a  shadow  of  justification.  The  so- 
called  history  of  Jimmu,  the  first  earthly  Mikado,  of  Jingo 
the  conqueror  of  Korea,  of  Yamato-take,  and  of  the  rest, 
stands  or  falls  by  exactly  the  same  criterion  as  the  legends 
of  the  creator  and  creatress  Izanagi  and  Izanami.  Both 
sets  of  tales  are  told  in  the  same  books,  in  the  same  style, 
and  with  an  almost  equal  amount  of  supernatural  detail. 
The  so-called  historical  part  is  as  devoid  as  the  other  of  all 
contemporary  evidence.  Arrived  at  A.  D.  600,  we  stand 
on  terra  firma,  and  can  afford  to  push  on  more  quickly. 

3° 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN  31 

About  that  time  occurred  the  greatest  event  of  Japanese 
history,  the  conversion  of  the  nation  to  Buddhism  (approxi- 
mately A.  D.  552-621).  So  far  as  can  be  gathered  from 
the  ancients  of  the  early  Chinese  travellers,  Chinese  civili- 
zation had  slowly — very  slowly — been  gaining  ground  in 
the  archipelago  ever  since  the  Third  Century  after  Christ. 
But  when  the  Buddhist  missionaries  crossed  the  water,  all 
Chinese  institutions  followed  them  and  came  in  with  a 
rush.  Mathematical  instruments  and  calendars  were  intro- 
duced ;  books  began  to  be  written  (the  earliest  that  has 
survived,  and  indeed  nearly  the  earliest  of  all,  is  the  Kojiki, 
dating  from  A.  D.  712) ;  the  custom  of  abdicating  the  throne 
in  order  to  spend  old  age  in  prayer  was  adopted,  a  custom 
which,  more  than  anything  else,  led  to  the  effacement  of 
the  Mikado's  authority  during  the  Middle  Ages. 

Sweeping  changes  in  political  arrangements  began  to  be 
made  in  the  year  645,  and  before  the  end  of  the  Eighth 
Century,  the  government  had  been  entirely  remodelled  on 
the  Chinese  centralized  bureaucratic  plan,  with  a  regular 
system  of  ministers  responsible  to  the  sovereign,  who,  as 
"  Son  of  Heaven,"  was  theoretically  absolute.  In  practice 
this  absolutism  lasted  but  a  short  time,  because  the  entour- 
age and  mode  of  life  of  the  Mikados  were  not  such  as  to 
make  of  them  able  rulers.  They  passed  their  time  sur- 
rounded only  by  women  and  priests,  oscillating  between 
indolence  and  debauchery,  between  poetastering  and  gor- 
geous temple  services.  This  was  the  brilliant  age  of  Japa- 
nese classical  literature,  which  lived  and  moved  and  had  its 


32  JAPAN 

being  in  the  atmosphere  of  an  effeminate  court.  The 
Fujiwara  family  engrossed  the  power  of  the  state  during 
this  early  epoch  (A.  D.  670-1050).  While  their  sons  held 
all  the  great  posts  of  government,  their  daughters  were 
married  to  puppet  emperors. 

The  next  change  resulted  from  the  impatience  of  the 
always  manly  and  warlike  Japanese  gentry  at  the  sight  of 
this  sort  of  petticoat  government.  The  great  clans  of 
Taira  and  Minamoto  arose,  and  struggled  for  and  alter- 
nately held  the  reins  of  power  during  the  second  half  of  the 
Eleventh  and  the  whole  of  the  Twelfth  Century.  Japan 
was  now  converted  into  a  camp ;  her  institutions  were 
feudalized.  The  real  master  of  the  empire  was  he  who, 
strongest  with  his  sword  and  bow,  and  heading  the  most 
numerous  host,  could  partition  out  the  land  among  the 
chief  barons,  his  retainers.  By  the  final  overthrow  of  the 
Taira  family  at  the  sea-fight  of  Dan-no-ura  in  A.  D.  1185, 
Yoritomo,  the  chief  of  the  Minamotos,  rose  to  supreme 
power,  and  obtained  from  the  Court  at  Kioto  the  title  of 
Shogun,  literally  "  Generalissimo,"  which  had  till  then 
been  applied  in  its  proper  meaning  to  those  generals  who 
were  sent  from  time  to  time  to  subdue  the  Ainos  or  rebel- 
lious provincials,  but  which  thenceforth  took  to  itself  a 
special  sense,  somewhat  as  the  word  Imperator  (also  mean- 
ing originally  "  general  ")  did  in  Rome.  The  coincidence 
is  striking.  So  is  the  contrast.  For,  as  Imperial  Rome 
never  ceased  to  be  theoretically  a  republic,  Japan  contrari- 
wise, though  practically  and  indeed  avowedly  ruled  by  the 


TOMB   OF   IYEYASU,   N1KKO. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN  33 

Shoguns  from  A.  D.  1190  to  1867,  always  retained  the 
Mikado  as  theoretical  head  of  the  state,  descendant  of  the 
Sun-Goddess,  fountain  of  all  honour.  There  never  were 
two  emperors,  acknowledged  as  such,  one  spiritual  and  one 
secular,  as  has  been  so  often  asserted  by  European  writers. 
There  never  was  but  one  emperor, — an  emperor  powerless, 
it  is  true,  seen  only  by  the  women  who  attended  him,  often 
a  mere  infant  in  arms,  who  was  discarded  on  reaching 
adolescence  for  another  infant  in  arms.  Still,  he  was  the 
theoretical  head  of  the  state,  whose  authority  was  merely 
delegated  to  the  Shogun  as,  so  to  say,  Mayor  of  the  Palace. 
By  a  curious  parallelism  of  destiny,  the  Shogunate  itself 
more  than  once  showed  signs  of  fading  away  from  sub- 
stance into  shadow.  Yoritomo's  descendants  did  not  prove 
worthy  of  him  and  for  more  than  a  century  (A.  D.  1205- 
1333)  the  real  authority  was  wielded  by  the  so-called 
"  Regents  "  of  the  Hojo  family,  while  their  liege-lords,  the 
Shoguns,  though  keeping  a  nominal  court  at  Kamakura, 
were  for  all  that  period  little  better  than  empty  names.  So 
completely  were  the  Hojos  masters  of  the  whole  country, 
that  they  actually  had  their  deputy  governors  at  Kioto  and 
in  Kyushu  in  the  south-west,  and  thought  nothing  of 
banishing  Mikados  to  distant  islands.  Their  rule  was 
made  memorable  by  the  repulse  of  the  Mongol  fleet  sent 
by  Kublai  Khan  with  the  purpose  of  aiding  Japan  to  his 
gigantic  dominions.  This  was  at  the  end  of  the  Thirteenth 
Century,  since  which  time  Japan  has  never  been  attacked 
from  without. 


34  JAPAN 

During  the  Fourteenth  Century  even  the  dowager-like 
calm  of  the  Court  of  Kioto  was  broken  by  internecine 
strife.  Two  branches  of  the  Imperial  house,  supported 
each  by  different  feudal  chiefs,  disputed  the  crown.  One 
was  called  Hokucho,  or  "  Northern  Court,"  the  other  the 
Nancboy  or  u  Southern  Court."  After  lasting  some  sixty 
years,  this  contest  terminated  in  A.  D.  1392,  by  the  triumph 
of  the  Northern  dynasty,  whose  cause  the  powerful  Ashi- 
kaga  family  had  espaused.  From  1338  to  1565,  the  Ashi- 
kagas  ruled  Japan  as  Shoguns.  Their  Court  was  a  centre 
of  elegance,  at  which  painting  flourished,  and  the  lyric 
drama,  and  the  tea-ceremonies,  and  the  highly  intricate  arts 
of  gardening  and  flower-arrangement.  But  they  allowed 
themselves  to  sink  into  effeminacy  and  sloth,  as  the  Mikados 
had  done  before  them ;  and  political  authority,  after  being 
for  some  time  administered  less  by  them  than  in  their 
name,  fell  from  them  altogether  in  1597. 

Meanwhile  Japan  had  been  discovered  by  the  Portuguese 
(A.  D.  1542);  and  the  imprudent  conduct  of  the  Portuguese 
and  Spanish  friars  (bateren,  as  they  were  called — a  corrup- 
tion of  the  word  padre]  made  of  the  Christian  religion  an 
additional  source,  of  discord.  Japan  fell  into  utter  anarchy. 
Each  baron  in  his  fastness  was  a  law  unto  himself.  Then, 
in  the  latter  half  of  the  Sixteenth  Century,  there  arose 
successively  three  great  men, — Ota  Nobunaga,  the  Taikun 
Hideyoshi,  and  Tokugawa  lyeyasu.  The  first  of  these  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  centralizing  all  the  authority  of  the  state 
in  a  single  person ;  the  second,  Hideyoshi,  who  has  been 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN  35 

called  the  Napoleon  of  Japan,  actually  put  the  idea  into 
practice,  and  added  the  invasion  of  Korea  (A.  D.  1592- 
1598)  to  his  domestic  triumphs.  Death  overtook  him  in 
1598,  while  he  was  revolving  no  less  a  scheme  than  the 
conquest  of  China.  lyeyasu,  setting  Hideyoshi's  youthful 
son  aside,  stepped  into  the  vacant  place.  An  able  general, 
unsurpassed  as  a  diplomat  and  administrator,  he  first  quelled 
all  the  turbulent  barons,  then  bestowed  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  their  lands  on  his  own  kinsmen  and  dependents, 
and  either  broke  or  balanced,  by  a  judicious  distribution  of 
other  fiefs  over  different  provinces  of  the  empire,  the  might 
of  those  greater  feudal  lords,  such  as  Satsuma  and  Choshu, 
whom  it  was  impossible  to  put  altogether  out  of  the  way. 
The  Court  of  Kioto  was  treated  by  him  respectfully,  and 
investiture  as  Shogun  for  himself  and  his  heirs  duly  ob- 
tained from  the  Mikado. 

In  order  further  to  break  the  might  of  the  Daimios, 
lyeyasu  compelled  them  to  live  at  Yedo,  which  he  had 
chosen  for  his  capital  in  1590,  during  six  months  of  the 
year,  and  to  leave  their  wives  and  families  there  as  hostages 
during  the  other  half.  What  lyeyasu  sketched  out,  the  third 
Shogun  of  his  line,  lyemitsu,  perfected.  From  that  time  for- 
ward, "  Old  Japan,"  as  we  know  it  from  the  Dutch  ac- 
counts, from  art,  from  the  stage,  was  crystallized  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years, — the  Old  Japan  of  isolation  (for 
lyemitsu  shut  the  country  up,  to  prevent  complications  with 
the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese),  the  Old  Japan  of  picturesque 
feudalism,  of  barakiri,  of  a  society  ranged  in  castes  and  or- 


36  JAPAN 

ders  and  officered  by  spies,  the  Old  Japan  of  an  ever-in- 
creasing skill  in  lacquer  and  porcelain,  of  aristocratic  punc- 
tilio, of  supremely  exquisite  taste. 

Unchangeable  to  the  outward  eye  of  contemporaries, 
Japan  had  not  passed  a  hundred  years  under  the  Tokugawa 
regime  before  the  seeds  of  the  disease  which  finally  killed 
that  regime  were  sown.  Strangely  enough,  the  instrument 
of  destruction  was  historical  research.  lyeyasu  himself  had 
been  a  great  patron  of  literature.  His  grandson,  the  second 
Prince  of  Mito,  inherited  his  taste.  Under  the  auspices  of 
this  Japanese  Maecenas  a  school  of  literati  arose,  to  whom 
the  antiquities  of  their  country  were  all  in  all, — Japanese 
poetry  and  romance,  as  against  the  Chinese  Classics ;  the 
native  religion,  Shinto,  as  against  the  foreign  religion,  Bud- 
dhism ;  hence  by  an  inevitable  extension,  the  ancient  legiti- 
mate dynasty  of  the  Mikados,  as  against  the  upstart  Sho- 
guns.  Of  course  this  political  portion  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  literary  party  was  kept  in  the  background  at  first ;  for 
those  were  not  days  when  opposition  to  the  existing  govern- 
ment could  be  expressed  or  even  hinted  at  without  danger. 

Nevertheless  it  gradually  grew  in  importance,  so  that,  when 
Commodore  Perry  came  with  his  big  guns  (A.  D.  1853-4), 
he  found  a  government  already  tottering  to  its  fall,  many 
who  cared  little  for  the  Mikado's  abstract  rights  caring  a 
great  deal  for  the  chance  of  aggrandizing  their  own  families 
at  the  Shogun's  expense. 

The  Shogun  yielded  to  the  demands  of  Perry  and  of  the 
representatives  of  the  other  foreign  powers — England, 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN  37 

France,  Russia — who  followed  in  Perry's  train,  and  con- 
sented to  open  Yokohama,  Hakodate,  and  certain  other 
ports  to  foreign  trade  and  residence  (1857-9).  He  even 
sent  embassies  to  the  United  States  and  to  Europe  in  1860 
and  1 86 1.  The  knowledge  of  the  outer  world  possessed  by 
the  Court  of  Yedo,  though  not  extensive,  was  sufficient  to 
assure  the  Shogun  and  his  advisers  that  it  was  in  vain  to  re- 
fuse what  the  Western  powers  claimed.  The  Court  of 
Kioto  had  no  means  of  acquiring  even  this  modicum  of 
worldly  wisdom.  According  to  its  view,  Japan,  "  the  land 
of  the  gods,"  should  never  be  polluted  by  outsiders,  the 
ports  should  be  closed  again,  and  the  "barbarians  "  expelled 
at  any  hazard. 

What  specially  tended  to  complicate  matters  at  this 
crisis  was  the  independent  action  of  certain  Daimios.  One 
of  them,  the  Prince  of  Choshu,  acting,  as  it  is  believed,  un- 
der secret  instructions  from  the  Court  of  Kioto,  fired  on 
ships  belonging  to  France,  Holland  and  the  United  States, — 
this  too,  at  the  very  moment  (1863)  when  the  Shogun's 
government,  placed  between  foreign  aggression  and  home 
tumult,  as  between  hammer  and  anvil,  was  doing  its  utmost 
to  effect  by  diplomacy  the  departure  of  the  foreigners  whom 
it  had  been  driven  to  admit  a  few  years  before.  The  conse- 
quence of  this  act  was  what  is  called  "the  Shimonoseki 
Affair,"  namely  the  bombardment  of  Shimonoseki,  Choshu's 
chief  sea-port,  by  the  combined  fleets  of  the  powers  that 
had  been  insulted,  together  with  Great  Britain  which  es- 
poused their  cause  on  the  ground  of  the  solidarity  of  all  for- 


38  JAPAN 

eign  interests  in  Japan.  An  indemnity  of  $3,000,000  was 
exacted, — a  last  blow  which  broke  the  Shogunate's  back. 
The  Shogun  lyemochi  attempted  to  punish  Choshu  for  the 
humiliation  which  he  had  brought  on  Japan,  but  failed,  was 
himself  defeated  by  the  latter's  troops,  and  died.  Hitotsu- 
bashi,  the  last  of  his  line,  succeeded  him.  But  the  Court  of 
Kioto,  prompted  by  the  great  Daimyos  of  Choshu  and  Sat- 
suma,  suddenly  decided  on  the  abolition  of  the  Shogunate. 
The  Shogun  submitted  to  the  decree,  and  those  of  his  fol- 
lowers who  did  not  were  routed, — first  at  Fushimi  near 
Kioto  (ijth  January,  1868),  then  at  Ueno  in  Yedo  (4th 
July,  1868),  then  in  Aizu  (6th  November,  1868),  and  lastly 
at  Hakodate  (lyth  June,  1869),  where  some  of  them  had 
endeavoured  to  set  up  an  independent  republic. 

The  government  of  the  country  was  reorganized  during 
1867-8,  nominally  on  the  basis  of  a  pure  absolutism,  with 
the  Mikado  as  the  sole  wielder  of  all  authority  both  legisla- 
tive and  executive.  Thus  the  literary  party  had  triumphed. 
All  their  dreams  were  realized.  They  were  henceforth  to 
have  Japan  for  the  Japanese.  The  Shogunate,  which  had 
admitted  the  hated  barbarian,  was  no  more.  Even  their 
hope  of  supplanting  Buddhism  by  the  national  religion, 
Shinto,  was  in  great  measure  accomplished.  They  believed 
that  not  only  European  innovations,  but  everything — even 
Japanese — that  was  newer  than  A.  D.  500,  would  be  for- 
ever swept  away.  Things  were  to  go  back  to  what  they 
had  been  in  the  primitive  ages,  when  Japan  was  really  "  the 
land  of  the  gods." 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN  39 

From  this  dream  they  were  soon  roughly  wakened.  The 
shrewd  clansmen  of  Satsuma  and  Choshu,  who  had  hu- 
moured the  ignorance  of  the  Court  and  the  fads  of  the  schol- 
ars only  as  long  as  their  common  enemy,  the  Shogunate, 
remained  in  existence,  now  turned  round  and  declared  in 
favour,  not  merely  of  foreign  intercourse,  but  of  the  Euro- 
peanization  of  their  own  country.  History  has  never  wit- 
nessed a  more  sudden  volte-face.  History  has  never  wit- 
nessed a  wiser  one.  We  foreigners,  being  mere  lookers-on, 
may  no  doubt  sometimes  regret  the  substitution  of  common- 
place European  ways  for  the  glitter,  the  glamour  of  pictur- 
esque Orientalism.  But  can  it  be  doubtful  which  of  the 
two  civilizations  is  the  higher,  both  materially  and  intellect- 
ually ?  And  does  not  the  whole  experience  of  the  last  three 
hundred  years  go  to  prove  that  no  Oriental  state  which  re- 
tains distinctively  Oriental  institutions  can  hope  to  keep  its 
territory  free  from  Western  aggression  ?  What  of  India  ? 
What  even  of  China  ?  And  what  was  Commodore  Perry's 
visit  but  a  threat  to  the  effect  that  if  Japan  chose  to  remain 
Oriental,  she  should  not  be  allowed  to  remain  her  own  mis- 
tress ?  From  the  moment  when  the  intelligent  Samurai  of 
the  leading  clans  realized  that  the  European ization  of  the 
country  was  a  question  of  life  and  death,  they  (for  to  this 
day  the  government  has  continued  practically  in  their 
hands)  have  never  ceased  carrying  on  the  work  of  reform 
and  progress. 

The  first  and  greatest  step  was  when  the  Daimyos  them- 
selves came  forward  to  surrender  their  estates  and  privileges, 


40  JAPAN 

— when,  in  fact,  the  Japanese  feudal  system  ended  appropri- 
ately by  committing  harakiri.  A  centralized  bureaucracy 
was  set  up  on  its  ruins  (1871).  At  the  same  time  all  social 
disabilities  were  removed,  Buddhism  was  disestablished,  an 
Imperial  mint  opened,  and  posts  and  telegraphs — followed 
next  year  by  railways — were  introduced.  In  1873  vacci- 
nation, the  European  calendar,  and  European  dress  for 
officials  were  adopted,  torture  was  abolished,  and  the 
persecution  of  Christians  stopped.  At  the  same  time 
photography,  meat-eating,  and  other  "  Europeanisms " 
came  pell-mell  into  vogue,  not  without  official  encourage- 
ment; and  an  edict  was  issued  against  wearing  the  queue. 
Steamship  companies  were  established  (1875-1885),  an  im- 
mense financial  reform  was  effected  by  the  commutation  of 
the  Samurai's  pensions  (1876),  a  Bourse  and  Chamber  of 
Commerce  were  inaugurated  at  Tokio  (1878),  new  codes 
inspired  by  the  Code  Napoleon  began  to  be  published 
(1880),  a  Supreme  Court  of  Justice  was  instituted  (1883), 
and  the  English  language  was  introduced  into  the  curric- 
ulum of  the  common  schools  (1884).  Most  notable,  next 
to  1873,  were  1885-7,  t^le  years  °f  'he  great  "foreign 
fever,"  when  Japanese  society  was  literally  submerged  in  a 
flood  of  European  influence,  such  things  as  foreign  dress 
for  ladies,  dancing,  athletics,  card-playing,  etc.,  etc.,  coming 
in  with  a  rush,  while  what  is  still  remembered  as  the 
O-jishin,  or  "  Great  Earthquake,"  shook  the  political  world. 
Then  were  administrative  methods  reformed,  the  hitherto 
excessive  number  of  officials  reduced,  and  new  men,  such 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN  41 

as   Ito   and    Inouye — names   still  the  most  famous  in  the 
land — assumed  the  highest  posts. 

The  failure  in  1887,  of  long-protracted  negotiations  for 
treaty  revision  made  of  that  year  a  turning-point  in  modern 
Japanese  history.  A  strong  reaction  set  in  against  for- 
eigners and  their  ways,  which  has  lasted  ever  since,  leading 
occasionally  to  murderous  attacks  on  foreign  residents  and 
even  to  one  on  the  present  Czar  of  Russia,  who  happened 
as  Czarewitch  to  be  visiting  Japan  in  1891.  Notwith- 
standing reaction,  however,  a  long-promised  Constitution, 
modelled  to  some  extent  on  that  of  Prussia,  was  granted  in 
1889.  Unfortunately  it  failed  from  the  very  beginning  to 
work  smoothly,  and  summary  suspension,  following  on 
violent  altercations,  has  come  to  be  looked  forward  to  as 
the  most  likely  fate  of  the  yearly  session,  while  the  gradual 
consolidation  of  divers  political  parties  in  the  state  has 
helped  to  induce  considerable  exacerbation  of  feeling.  Be- 
sides the  promulgation,  from  time  to  time,  of  the  new 
codes,  the  most  important  administrative  events  of  the  last 
few  years  have  been  the  promulgation  of  the  Local  Self- 
Government  Act  in  1888,  the  granting  of  bounties  for 
navigation  and  ship-building  in  1896,  and  the  adoption  of 
the  gold  standard  in  1897.  ^n  international  politics,  the 
revision  of  the  treaties  with  the  various  great  powers  calls 
for  prominent  notice.  That  with  England  was  concluded 
first,  in  August,  1894,  with  the  United  States  a  few  months 
later,  Russia  in  1895,  Germany  in  1896.  Those  with 
France  and  Austria  are  still  (1898)  under  discussion. 


42  JAPAN 

In  the  summer  of  1894,  the  Japanese  government  sud- 
denly and  silently  despatched  to  the  mainland  of  Asia  a 
large  body  of  troops,  who  occupied  Korea  and  seized  the 
persons  of  the  king  and  royal  family,  "with  the  object "- 
so  it  was  officially  stated — "  of  maintaining  Korean  inde- 
pendence," thence  proceeding  to  make  war  on  China,  "  in 
order  to  establish  the  peace  of  the  Orient."  The  war 
grew  naturally  out  of  the  condition  of  Japan  herself  at  that 
particular  juncture.  Perpetual  dissensions  between  the  Diet 
and  the  executive  were  fast  putting  the  working  of  the 
new  Constitution  out  of  gear, — straining  it  in  fact  to 
breaking  point.  Meanwhile  the  admirably-trained  army, 
like  a  racer  panting  for  its  trial  of  speed,  had  long  been 
impatient  for  a  fight  with  some  one,  somewhere,  anywhere. 
To  these  motives  were  superadded  the  desire — now  that 
treaty  revision  with  all  the  foreign  powers  was  imminent — 
of  abolishing  an  inconvenient  early  treaty  with  China,  and 
above  all,  the  longing  to  make  a  figure  in  the  world,  to 
show  Russia  and  England  that  Japan  was  no  mere  play- 
ground for  aesthetically  disposed  tourists,  but  a  great  power, 
the  great  power  of  the  East.  Surely  here  were  reasons 
enough.  Plausible  excuses  for  taking  offence,  if  one  is  on 
the  look-out  for  doing  so,  are  never  lacking  between  close 
neighbours  so  mutually  antipathetic  in  temper  as  the  pro- 
gressive, mercurial  islanders  and  the  conservative  conti- 
nentals. The  result  brilliantly  justified  the  shrewd  calcula- 
tions of  the  Japanese  government.  Their  preparations, — 
spread  over  years,  but  carried  on  so  quietly  that  not  one  of 


THE  HISTORY  OF  JAPAN  43 

the  foreign  legations  suspected  aught  unusual  to  be  in 
hand, — were  complete  in  every  point ;  their  troops  behaved 
splendidly,  and  the  enemy  generally  ran  away.  Within  a 
year  of  the  inception  of  the  war,  China  had  been  forced 
to  cede  to  Japan  the  province  of  Liao-tung,  besides  paying 
a  heavy  indemnity ;  and  when  Russia,  Germany  and 
France  unexpectedly  stepped  in  to  forbid  the  cession  of 
any  territory  on  the  Chinese  mainland,  the  large  and  fertile 
island  of  Formosa  was  obtained  instead. 

The  simple  and  ardent  patriotism  of  the  Japanese  people 
during  the  war  was  as  admirable  as  the  statecraft  of  their 
rulers : — they  moved  as  one  man.  Whatever  troubles 
Japan  may  have  in  store  for  her, — troubles  financial  per- 
haps, complications  with  foreign  powers,  troubles  arising 
from  the  constant  yearning  of  small  but  influential  sections 
of  her  people  for  radical  changes  in  government, — one 
thing  is  certain  : — the  late  war  has  made  for  stability  and 
for  safety,  for  increased  commerce,  increased  influence,  and 
national  self-respect.  New  Japan  has  come  of  age. 


SHINTO  AND  BUDDHISM 

TOSHITARO  YAMASH1TA 

SHINTO  has  been  the  religion  of  the  Japanese  na- 
tion from  the  very  commencement  of  its  history, 
and  cannot  be  separated  from  it.  Buddhism, 
though  introduced  at  a  much  later  period,  has  exercised, 
with  its  subtle  doctrines  and  gorgeous  ritual,  a  far-reaching 
influence  over  the  nation,  and  it  is  natural,  therefore,  to  find 
numerous  traces  of  its  effect  upon  the  people  of  the  Em- 
pire. 

I  propose  to  deal  first  with  Shinto,  not  only  because  it  is 
the  national  religion  of  Japan,  but  because  it  is  by  far  the 
simpler  of  the  two,  and  a  very  few  words  will  suffice  to 
consider  its  effects. 

Students  of  this  religion  must  have  been  struck  with  the 
simplicity  of  its  doctrine.  It  enforces  no  especial  moral 
code,  embraces  no  philosophical  ideas,  and,  moreover,  it  has 
no  authoritative  books  to  guide  believers.  Its  one  peculiar 
feature  is  the  relation  it  holds  towards  the  Imperial  Family 
of  Japan,  whose  ancestors  are  made  the  chief  object  of  wor- 
ship. This  religion,  if  indeed  it  can  be  rightly  called  a 
religion  at  all,  amounts  to  ancestor- worship — the  apoth- 
eosis of  the  Japanese  Imperial  Family.  This  fact  naturally 
brings  about  two  results  :  one  is  that  Shinto  can  never  be 

44 


SHINTO  AND  BUDDHISM  45 

propagated  beyond  the  realms  of  the  Japanese  Emperor; 
the  other,  that  it  has  helped  to  a  very  great  extent  the 
growth  of  the  spirit  of  loyalty  of  Japanese  subjects  towards 
their  head,  and  has  enshrined  the  Imperial  Family  with  such 
a  degree  of  sacredness  and  reverence  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  name  another  ruling  family  which  is  looked  up 
to  by  its  subjects  with  the  same  amount  of  loyal  homage 
and  submissive  veneration.  It  is,  indeed,  a  unique  circum- 
stance in  the  history  of  nations,  that,  during  the  two 
thousand  five  hundred  years  of  its  sway,  the  position  of  the 
Japanese  Imperial  P'amily  as  head  of  the  whole  nation  has 
never  once  been  disputed,  nor  even  questioned,  by  the  people. 
Of  course,  it  is  true  that  the  dynasty  has  experienced  many 
vicissitudes,  but,  although  the  actual  government  has  at 
times  been  in  the  hands  of  powerful  nobles  and  Shoguns, 
the  throne  has,  nevertheless,  been  always  kept  sacred  for  the 
descendants  of  Jimmu,  the  first  Emperor.  In  the  recent 
history  of  Japan,  this  single  fact,  coupled  with  the  great 
wisdom  displayed  by  the  present  Emperor,  explains,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  secret  of  the  rapid,  yet  coherent,  change 
which  the  country  has  undergone  since  the  beginning  of  the 
Meiji  era.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  the  Em- 
peror as  the  centre  of  popular  reverence  and  affection,  it  is 
difficult  to  tell  whether  the  country  would  not  have  been 
thrown  into  an  inextricable  chaos  of  conflicting  interests  and 
factions  during  the  period  of  this  radical  change.  Every 
Japanese  feels  deeply  grateful  for  the  resultant  benefits  de- 
rived from  the  transition,  the  achievement  of  which  was 


46  JAPAN 

due  to  the  sagacity  and  foresight  of  the  Imperial  Family; 
while  the  Shinto  must  also  be  assigned  a  share  of  the 
honours,  by  virtue  of  the  fact  that  its  influence  has  brought 
about  and  preserved  intact  the  loyal  spirit  of  the  people 
for  upwards  of  twenty-five  centuries. 

With  this  single  yet  not  insignificant  result,  I  must  leave 
Shinto,  and  pass  on  to  the  consideration  of  the  wide  and 
many-sided  influence  exercised  over  Japan  by  Buddhism. 

Buddhism  was  first  introduced  in  Japan  in  A.  D.  584, 
during  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Bitatsu.  At  first  many 
bitter  conflicts  naturally  occurred  between  the  adherents  of 
the  old  and  the  new  beliefs.  But  Prince  Shotoku,  a  man 
of  high  education  and  great  resource,  and  therefore  the 
wielder  of  considerable  power  in  the  land,  having  been  con- 
verted to  its  tenets,  Buddhism  at  once  began  to  make  rapid 
headway.  One  of  the  nobles,  named  Moriya,  who  watched 
with  misgivings  the  pushing  aside  of  the  old  national  relig- 
ion, felt  constrained  to  resort  to  force  of  arms  in  order  to 
check  the  progress  of  the  heathen  belief,  but  he  was  speedily 
overwhelmed  and  killed.  Then,  chiefly  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  the  governing  classes,  temple  after  temple 
was  erected  in  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  Buddhism 
soon  took  firm  root  in  Japan.  At  a  later  period,  during  the 
long-continued  peace  of  nearly  three  hundred  years  under 
the  Tokugawa  administration,  which  preceded  the  present 
Meiji  era,  strict  feudalism  prevailed  throughout  the  whole  of 
the  country,  and,  as  a  consequence,  many  men  of  high  at- 
tainments but  humble  birth  were  excluded  from  every 


SHINTO   TEMPLE,   KOBE. 


SHINTO  AND  BUDDHISM  47 

sphere  of  action  except  the  circumscribed  one  of  the 
priesthood.  It  came  about,  therefore,  that  although  Con- 
fucianism was  actively  encouraged  during  this  time  of  pro- 
tracted peace,  nevertheless  Buddhism  produced  a  large 
number  of  distinguished  leaders  of  the  faith.  In  this  way, 
I  think,  the  most  subtle  and  refined  forms  of  Buddhism 
were  developed  in  Japan  to  a  greater  degree  than  in  India, 
where  it  originated,  or  in  China,  whence  it  spread  to  Japan. 
The  many  things  for  which  Japan  is  indebted  to  Bud- 
dhism may  be  classified  briefly  under  two  heads  :  first,  those 
which  were  introduced  into  the  country  with  Buddhism; 
and,  second,  the  developments  which  can  be  traced  to  its 
traditions,  its  doctrines  and  its  culture. 

Under  the  first  head  must  be  mentioned  the  following : 
Sculpture  and  Metal-work. — Sculpture  undoubtedly  re- 
ceived its  first  impetus  through  the  introduction  of  Bud- 
dhistic images.  Old  historians  state  that  the  carving  of 
images  in  stone  was  practised  from  very  remote  ages,  but 
the  production  of  wood  and  copper  statues  and  reliefs  cer- 
tainly dates  from  the  introduction  of  Buddhism.  The  am- 
bassadors sent  to  Korea  by  the  Emperor  Bitatsu,  returned 
in  584  A.  D.,  with  a  stone  image  of  Buddha,  and  this  was 
the  first  of  the  models  brought  from  time  to  time  into 

D 

Japan,  and  from  which  the  Japanese  artists  made  their 
copies.  According  to  "  Kogei-Shiryo,"  certain  relics  have 
been  discovered  which  can  be  proved  to  be  the  products  of 
this  period.  It  seems  that  the  early  Japanese  artists  did 
not  confine  themselves  to  the  carving  of  Buddhistic  images, 


48  JAPAN 

but  produced  also  representations  of  the  Shinto  gods  and 
animals.  Though  Shinto  carvings  are  now  very  rare,  those 
of  animals  are  often  to  be  met  with — usually  at  the  en- 
trance to  a  temple ;  and  it  is  recorded  that  when  the  gate 
of  Tendaiji  Temple,  in  Nara,  was  in  course  of  construc- 
tion in  A.  D.  1196,  men  were  sent  to  China  to  procure 
stones  suitable  for  the  carving  of  lions  and  Buddhistic  im- 
ages. The  production  of  wooden  and  copper  images  was 
also  encouraged,  and,  when  the  temples  were  built,  wood- 
carving  was  applied  to  other  objects  in  addition  to  statues. 

Embroidery. — Embroidery  is  also  considered  to  have  been 
introduced  into  Japan  in  the  same  way.  The  first  record 
of  this  class  of  work  dates  from  the  thirteenth  year  of  the 
reign  of  the  Empress  Suiko,  when,  at  her  orders,  two  im- 
ages of  Buddha,  one  in  copper  and  the  other  in  embroidery, 
were  made  by  Japanese  artists. 

Besides  these,  there  are  several  other  branches  of  art 
culture  which  owe  their  first  introduction  to  Buddhism, 
but,  having  regard  to  the  more  interesting  character  of  the 
second  class,  namely  the  developments  which  can  be  traced 
to  its  traditions,  doctrines  and  culture,  I  pass  on  at  once  to 
consider  them. 

Education. — A  debt  of  gratitude  is  due  to  Buddhism 
for  its  unstinted  encouragement  of  education  for  a 
period  of  several  centuries.  China,  in  addition  to  many 
other  things,  supplied  Japan  with  her  philosophy  and  litera- 
ture, and  the  first  serious  attention  paid  to  education  dates 
from  the  reign  of  Ojin,  a  period  much  anterior  to  the  ap- 


SHINTO  AND  BUDDHISM  49 

pearance  of  Buddhism  ;  for  a  long  period  after  that  date 
able  scholars  were  continually  sent  by  the  government  to 
the  land  of  our  teachers,  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  ad- 
vancement of  their  learning. 

Subsequently,  however,  the  power  of  the  Japanese  cen- 
tral government  gradually  waned,  and  the  actual  governing 
power  was  transferred  in  the  latter  part  of  the  Twelfth 
Century  to  the  military  class,  with  the  result  that  the 
country  was  plunged  into  a  state  of  continual  warfare  be- 
tween the  leading  military  families.  In  consequence  of 
this,  education  became  entirely  neglected  by  the  govern- 
ment. The  Buddhist  priests  were,  however,  well  versed 
in  Chinese  literature,  and  the  monasteries  soon  became 
centres  of  learning,  and  from  that  time  onwards  until  three 
centuries  ago,  when  Tokugawa  came  into  power,  it  was 
kept  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  the  Buddhists.  This 
explains  the  existence  of  the  many  Buddhistic  institutions 
and  ideas  which  have  taken  so  firm  a  hold  upon  Japanese 
daily  life. 

Toleration. — A  distinctly  commendable  feature  of  Bud- 
dhism is  its  capacity  for  assimilating  the  practices  and  teach- 
ings of  other  religions.  Among  its  many  sects,  some,  of 
course,  hold  decidedly  narrow  and  bigoted  views ;  but,  gen- 
erally speaking,  a  respect  for  the  tenets  of  rival  religions  is 
a  distinguishing  characteristic  of  the  adherents  of  Buddhism. 
An  instance  of  this  is  to  be  seen  in  the  ready  absorption  of 
Confucian  doctrines,  and  in  the  adoption  of  many  Shinto 
ceremonies.  This  attitude  towards  other  faiths,  coupled, 


5o  JAPAN 

perhaps,  with  the  peculiarly  undevotional  character  of  the 
average  Japanese,  and  the  Confucian  doctrine  of  self-cul- 
ture, has  developed  to  a  remarkable  degree  that  spirit  of  re- 
ligious toleration  which  is  sometimes  difficult  to  distinguish 
from  a  general  indifference  to  religious  matters.  It  fre- 
quently occurs  that,  while  the  birth  of  a  baby  is  celebrated 
in  accordance  with  Shinto  customs,  Buddhist  priests  are  in- 
vited to  preside  over  the  burial  of  the  dead.  Even  the 
places  of  worship  were  used  in  common  by  the  followers 
of  the  two  religions,  until  with  the  revival  of  Shinto 
ideas,  the  government  took  steps  to  separate  them.  This 
may  be  explained  in  a  measure  by  the  fact  that  both  Bud- 
dhism and  Confucianism,  as  understood  by  the  educated 
classes  of  Japan,  inculcate  the  same  doctrine  of  self-cul- 
ture. But  the  assimilation  of  the  essence  of  other  benefits 
by  Buddhism  is,  it  seems  to  me,  quite  as  much  responsible 
for  this  far-reaching  spirit  of  toleration. 

Many  of  the  time-honoured  maxims  of  Japan  exhort  the 
people  to  disabuse  their  minds  of  the  idea  that  the  particular 
one  they  are  following  is  the  only  road  to  salvation,  and 
emphasize  the  fact  that  there  are  several  others  leading  to 
the  same  goal  which  are  equally  worthy  of  respect  and  at- 
tention. A  typical  example  is  found  in  a  short  stanza : 

"  To  reach  the  mountain's  crest  are  many  ways, 
But  all  meet  there  beneath  the  moon's  bright  rays. 
From  yonder  tow'ring  peak  her  smile  serene 
Reveals  the  beauty  of  the  native  scene." 

It  is  by  no  means  uncommon  to  find  several  different  re- 


SHINTO  AND  BUDDHISM  51 

ligions  in  one  family ;  for  instance,  the  man  may  be  a 
Shintoist,  his  wife  a  Buddhist,  and  their  grown-up  children 
Christians,  yet  their  diversity  of  beliefs  seldom  disturbs  in 
the  slightest  degree  the  tranquillity  and  happiness  of  home- 
life.  This  equanimity  of  disposition  seems  to  suggest  that 
the  conversion  of  the  people  to  a  new  belief  could  be  easily 
accomplished  in  Japan,  provided  that  it  were  possible  to 
prove  that  the  new  one  is  better  than  the  old,  and  that  un- 
deniable reasonings  could  be  marshalled  in  support  of  it. 

The  Love  of  Natural  Beauty,  and  its  Effect. — A  Buddhist 
temple  is  usually  built  upon  a  site  which  commands  a  view 
of  the  most  beautiful  and  imposing  scenery  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, and  it  will  be  sometimes  situated  far  up  in  a 
mountain  several  miles  from  the  nearest  town  or  village. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  inquire  into  the  reason  why  pref- 
erence was  originally  given  to  a  position  remarkable  for 
imposing  scenery  rather  than  for  convenience  of  access. 
What  we  are  more  concerned  with  is  the  indirect  influence 
upon  the  country  brought  about  by  this  peculiarity.  The 
most  apparent  result  was  the  opening  up  of  the  country  as 
the  natural  outcome  of  making  new  roads  leading  to  the 
temples,  and  but  for  which  roads  many  villages  would 
never  have  arisen  until  a  much  later  period.  Apart,  how- 
ever, from  this  essentially  material  benefit,  there  seems  to 
be  another  which  has  left  its  mark  even  more  plainly  upon 
Japanese  character.  As  I  have  already  said,  most  of  the 
famous  temples  are  built  upon  spots  especially  chosen  by 
reason  of  their  great  natural  beauty,  and  this  selection  of  a 


52  JAPAN 

picturesque  environment  for  the  place  of  worship  and  med- 
itation could  not  fail  to  exercise  a  very  powerful  influence 
upon  the  minds  of  worshippers.  A  result  of  this  seems  to 
be  that  a  love  of  natural  beauty  has  become  one  of  the 
strongest  characteristics  of  the  people,  and  this  has  been 
fostered  by  the  tenets  of  Buddhism,  which  hold  all  the 
products  of  nature  in  the  highest  veneration. 

As  a  demonstration  of  this  love  of  natural  beauty,  a 
Japanese  garden  may  be  cited.  When  a  family  is  not  in  a 
position  to  make  its  home  in  the  midst  of  fine  natural 
scenery,  a  counterfeit  presentment  of  it  on  a  reduced  scale 
is  usually  contrived.  Hills,  valleys,  rocks,  streams,  lakes, 
woods,  thickets  and  bridges  are  all  faithfully  planned  out 
upon  a  suitable  scale  just  as  an  artist  composes  a  landscape 
on  canvas.  The  Japanese  mode  of  procedure  is  in  direct 
contrast  to  European  methods  of  gardening.  One  tries  to 
hide  everything  but  that  which  is  natural,  while  the  other 
endeavours  to  render  nature  subservient  to  his  own  ideas. 

There  is  an  anecdote  told  of  Rikiu,  Master  of  the  Tea- 
Ceremony  in  the  service  of  Hideyoshi  known  to  Western 
notions  as  Taikun.  Rikiu  is  known  to  have  introduced 
into  Chanoyu,  or  the  Tea-Ceremony,  many  Buddhistic 
ideas.  It  is  related  that  one  day  Rikiu  was  ordered  to 
prepare  a  garden  for  the  reception  of  some  guests.  When, 
however,  Rikiu  went  to  the  garden  he  found  that  every 
possible  attention  had  already  been  bestowed  upon  it. 
Every  corner  was  swept  scrupulously  clean,  and  not  a  foot- 
print disturbed  the  freshly  sanded  paths.  He  regarded  it 


DAI-BUTSU,  UENO,  TOK1O. 


SHINTO  AND  BUDDHISM  53 

critically  for  a  moment  or  two,  and  then  went  to  a  large 
tree  that  stood  at  one  end,  and,  by  giving  it  a  shake, 
brought  down  a  few  dead  leaves.  He  then  reported  to  his 
master  that  the  garden  was  ready  for  the  reception  of  his 
guests. 

I  think  I  may  safely  assert  that  this  idea  of  beauty 
largely  owes  its  development,  either  directly  or  indirectlyt 
to  Buddhistic  influences. 


THE  JAPANESE  TORI-I 

SAMUEL  TUKE 

N"O  one  who  has  ever  visited  Japan,  not  even  the 
most  cursory  of  haste-impelled  globe-trotters,  can 
forget  the  curious  but  picturesque  gateways 
which  form  so  characteristic  a  feature  in  the  Japanese  land- 
scape. As  a  rule,  they  serve  as  entrances  to  shrines  or 
temple  grounds,  venerated  spots,  or  funereal  enclosures; 
but  they  not  infrequently  appear  in  all  sorts  of  unexpected 
places,  where  it  is  difficult  to  assign  any  satisfactory 
reason  for  their  existence. 

Every  one  who  has  been  over  the  Nagasendo,  recollects 
the  Tori-i  Toge,  "  the  pass  of  the  Tori-i^"  where  the  old  road 
passes  through  a  Tori-i  planted  on  the  summit  of  a  pass. 
It  is  impossible  to  wander  over  the  sunny,  flower-decked 
hillsides,  and  through  the  mysterious,  shaded  valley  groves 
of  Dai  Nippon,  without  coming  across  numbers  of  these 
curious  structures. 

Let  us  pass  beneath  one  at  hazard,  and  having  done  so, 
leave  the  main  track  for  a  narrow  footpath  through  a  dark 
grove  of  cryptomerias,  a  few  steps  along  which  will  bring 
us  to  a  flight  of  moss-grown  stone  stairs  leading  up  the 
steep  hillside  to  a  terrace  of  masonry,  upon  which,  half 
hidden  in  a  grove  of  sacred  trees,  stands  a  shingle-roofed, 

54 


THE  JAPANESE  TORI-I  55 

wooden  Shinto  shrine.  Having  climbed  the  steps,  we  pass 
beneath  a  second  Tori-i,  and,  having  deposited  a  few 
coppers  in  the  offertory  chest,  placed  for  its  maintenance 
in  front  of  the  little  "  miya"  we  stroll  round  to  its  further 
side.  There,  at  the  back,  we  may  find  yet  another  little 
Tori-i,  and  a  path  by  which  we  can  clamber  for  a  short 
distance  further  up  the  hillside.  But  soon  the  track  loses 
itself  in  the  tangled  brushwood  and  luxuriant  growth  of 
weeds  apparently  leading  nowhere.  So  we  retrace  our 
steps,  and,  leaving  the  shrine  behind,  go  carefully  down  the 
damp  and  slippery  stone  stairs  and  reach  the  main  path  and 
the  sunlight  once  more.  Further  on  we  come  across 
another  7or/W,  this  time,  perhaps,  rising  from  a  jungle  of 
tall  bamboo  grass,  with  here  and  there  a  tree  of  some  sort, 
and  many  an  azalea  bush  or  trail  of  wisteria  in  full  blossom. 
Again  we  leave  the  main  track  to  pass  beneath  the  Tori-i, 
We  follow  the  narrow  footpath,  which  leads  us  on  and  on 
through  the  jungle  of  grasses  and  flowering  shrubs;  here 
and  there  we  notice  a  few  strips  of  paper  tied  to  a  bush,  or 
a  straw  rope,  evidently  placed  in  position  by  some  devout 
hand.  Perhaps  the  path  grows  steeper,  and  the  trees  and 
bushes  denser,  when  again  our  path  vanishes  in  the  under- 
growth, or  possibly  branches  in  several  directions  only  to 
lead  us  nowhere.  A  second  time  we  retrace  our  steps ; 
perhaps  we  have  passed  some  forgotten  Shinto  tomb  or 
graveyard,  which  has  given  us  no  trace  of  its  existence, 
owing  to  the  thick  masses  of  vegetation  which  have  for 
years  outgrown  it.  So  we  return  to  the  main  track  again, 


56  JAPAN 

none  the  wiser  for  our  exploration,  though  our  minds  may 
be   full   of  conjectures   as  to  the  object  of  that  particular 

rri        •     • 

lon-i. 

But,  as  every  globe-trotter  knows,  the  Tori-i  is  as 
common  in  the  cities  as  in  the  country  districts  of  Japan ; 
it  is  also  a  familiar  object  to  those  who,  never  having  had 
the  good  fortune  to  visit  the  country,  are,  notwithstanding, 
lovers  of  Japanese  art,  and  know  something  of  the  salient 
features  of  Japanese  landscape  from  the  works  of  her 
artists  and  artisans.  Perhaps  no  artists  have  better  repro- 
duced these  salient  features  in  a  form  intelligible  to  the 
uninitiated  foreigner  than  Hokusai  and  Hiroshige.  If 
any  one  wishes  to  recall  the  forms  of  the  Tori-i  distinctly 
to  his  mind,  he  has  only  to  look  through  the  Fu-ji  hak  'kei, 
or  perhaps,  better  still,  the  Sumi-da  gawa  rio-gan  icbi-ran, 
or  the  Fu-gaku  san-jiu-rok  ^kei,  and  he  will  find  his  memory 
sufficiently  and  satisfactorily  restored. 

From  these  pictures  it  is  evident  that  Tori-i  are  not  all 
of  the  same  form.  These  two  forms  are  sometimes  con- 
sidered to  belong  respectively  to  the  two  religions  of  Japan: 
the  simpler  to  the  Shinto  worship;  the  latter  and  more 
complex  to  Buddhism.  If  we  accept  Fergusson's  state- 
ment that  the  Toran  of  India  is  the  ancestor  of  the 
Tori-i,  it  appears  probable  that  the  more  complex  form  is 
the  older,  and  that  the  simpler  is  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  a  rustic  copy  of  a  more  highly  developed  original, 
which  formed  an  integral  portion  of  the  architecture  of  a 
religious  cult  older  than  Buddhism. 


THE  JAPANESE  TORI-I  57 

There  are,  indeed,  some  who  tell  us  that  the  Tori-i  is  a 
form  of  Buddhist  architecture  which  has  in  Japan  been 
adapted  to  the  Shinto  cult.  It  is  true  that  the  two  religious 
systems  of  Japan,  since  they  have  been  able  to  exist 
peaceably  side  by  side,  appear,  at  a  certain  period,  to  have 
got  somewhat  mixed  up  with  one  another,  yet  on  the 
whole,  it  seems  safer  to  take  the  generally  received  opinion 
that  Tori-i  of  both  kinds  are  structures  belonging  to  the 
Shinto  worship. 

The  usual  material  for  their  construction  is  naturally 
wood,  occasionally  painted  bright  red ;  but  stone  and 
bronze  are  sometimes  employed. 

The  Tori-i  can  hardly  have  been  introduced  into  Japan 
much  later  than  250  B.  c.  For  after  this  date  both  stone 
architecture  and  the  Buddhist  religion  would  have  become 
influences  which  could  not  have  failed  to  somewhat  alter 
both  its  form  and  purpose  along  the  course  of  its  migration 
north-eastward. 

Now,  it  is  hardly  fanciful  to  imagine  that  the  early  con- 
querors of  Japan  were  either  refugees  from  the  mainland 
driven  over  seas  by  some  displacement  of  the  races  of 
Central  Asia,  or  else  warriors,  who,  rinding  the  tide  of 
races  driven  eastward  by  the  conquests  of  Western  powers, 
turned  their  attention  to  the  far  Eastern  islands. 

If  then,  the  Shinto  religion  was  brought  to  Japan  by  the 
ancestors  of  the  present  Japanese  on  their  first  settlement 
in  the  country,  and  is  not  a  purely  indigenous  growth,  it  is 
not  altogether  improbable  that  it  originally  came  from  India, 


58  JAPAN 

It  would,  I  think,  be  difficult  for  any  one  who  has  followed 
me  to  this  point  to  fail  to  have  been  struck  by  the  curious 
resemblance  between  the  names  Tori-i  and  Toran.  He 
may  also  have  said  with  equal  justice  that  our  own  word 
"  door  "  is  not  unlike  Toran. 

The  word  Tori-i  is  written  with  two  characters  which 
signify  "bird-dwelling,"  and  the  native  account  of  its  origin 
is  quoted,  and,  it  would  seem  accepted,  by  even  so  high  an 
authority  as  Mr.  Satow,  who  writes  of  it  as  follows : 

"  The  Tori-i  was  originally  a  perch  for  the  fowls  offered 
up  to  the  gods,  not  as  food,  but  to  give  warning  of  day- 
break. It  was  erected  on  any  side  of  the  temple  indiffer- 
ently. In  later  times,  not  improbably  after  the  introduc- 
tion of  Buddhism,  its  original  meaning  was  forgotten ;  it 
was  placed  in  front  only,  and  supposed  to  be  a  gateway. 
Tablets  with  inscriptions  (gakti)  were  placed  on  the  Tori-i 
with  this  belief,  and  one  of  the  first  things  done  after  the 
restoration  of  the  Mikado  in  1868,  in  the  course  of  the 
purification  of  the  Shinto  Temples,  was  the  removal  of 
these  tablets.  The  etymology  of  the  word  is  evidently 
1  bird-rest.'  The  Tori-i  gradually  assumed  the  character 
of  a  general  symbol  of  Shinto,  and  the  number  which 
might  be  erected  to  the  honour  of  a  deity  became  practi- 
cally unlimited.  The  Buddhists  made  it  of  stone  and 
bronze,  and  frequently  of  red-painted  wood,  and  developed 
various  forms." 

It  has  been  pointed  out  that  nearly  the  whole  of  Japanese 
civilization  came  from  abroad,  so  that  it  is  hardly  likely 


THE  JAPANESE  TORI-I  59 

that  the  Shinto  religion  and  its  accompanying  architectural 
forms  are  purely  indigenous  growth.  For  the  Japanese 
historians  themselves  record  a  migration  of  their  ancestors 
from  some  foreign  country  at  an  early  date.  Is  it  not  more 
likely  that  these  early  settlers  brought  their  religion  and  its 
architecture  with  them,  than  that  they  created  them  subse- 
quently ?  Such  a  proposition  gives  a  much  more  venerable 
age  to  the  Shinto  cult. 

Supposing,  then,  that  the  ancestors  of  the  present  Japa- 
nese did  bring  their  religious  cult  with  them  to  Japan,  and 
the  Tori-i  along  with  it,  Fergusson's  theory  appears  to 
offer  a  probable  solution  of  the  question  whence  that  cult 
and  the  Tori-i  came.  It  may  even  throw  a  ray  of  light 
upon  the  early  dwelling-place  of  a  portion,  at  all  events, 
of  the  present  Japanese  race. 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD 

SIR  EDWARD  J.  REED 

OUR  long  journey  from  the  old  capital  (Kioto) 
to  the  new  (Tokio)  was  resumed  on  Thursday, 
March  13,  at  7  A.  M.  All  the  shops  and  places 
of  business  appeared  to  be  open  and  in  operation  as  we 
rattled  through  Nagoya  and  Miya,  although  the  hour  was 
so  early.  There  were  several  very  pretty  gateways  in 
Miya  which  I  should  have  been  glad  to  have  sketched  had 
time  allowed,  but  a  passing  glance  was  all  we  could  devote 
to  them.  The  shrines  of  Atsuta,  with  their  mystic  sword, 
their  towering  trees,  their  crowded  light  pillars  and  simple 
ceremonies,  were  soon  passed  and  left  behind,  and  behind  us 
likewise  loomed  up  the  great  Honganji  temple,  and  beyond, 
the  mountains — mountain-shrines,  shall  we  call  them  ? — 
hung  with  curtain-screens  like  Atsuta,  but  in  this  case  the 
screens  were  blue,  and  wrought  of  valley  mist  and  morning 
light.  Numerous  temples,  and  still  more  numerous  shrines 
much  simpler  than  temples,  were  passed  during  the  day,  and 
at  many  of  them,  here  as  elsewhere,  the  stone  basins  in  front 
of  them  for  the  washing  of  the  hands  received  their  water 
from  spouting  bronze  dragons  of  considerable  size  and 
much  artistic  merit. 

Soon  after  leaving  Miya  we  were  again  upon  the  great 

60 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD        61 

Tokaido  road,  which  throughout  the  day,  as  on  some  former 
days,  was  a  fine,  smooth,  well-kept  road  between  the  towns 
and  the  villages,  but  was  much  neglected  where  it  passed 
through  them — a  point  which  would  seem  to  require  some 
attention  on  the  part  of  both  the  central  and  local  govern- 
ments. The  road  traversed  by  bridges  several  large  rivers, 
the  beds  of  which  were  raised  above  the  neighbouring  land- 
level  by  as  much  as  ten  feet.  After  a  short  halt  at  the 
town  of  Narumi,  where  cotton  spinning  is  carried  on,  and 
transit  through  another  in  which  dyeing  is  successfully 
practised,  we  passed  through  the  famous  battle-field  in 
which  the  great  Shogun  of  three  days,  so  to  call  him, 
Yoshimoto,  engaged  the  redoubtable  Nobunaga  in  the  Six- 
teenth Century,  and  was  defeated  by  him  and  killed.  A 
monument  to  his  (Yoshimoto's)  memory  was  passed  in  a 
field  on  our  right — a  simple  column  of  stone,  surrounded 
by  a  railing  of  wood.  Luncheon  was  taken  at  the  town 
of  Okazaki,  the  birthplace  of  lyeyasu,  at  which  are  the 
great  granite  quarries  from  which  the  capital,  Tokio,  and 
many  other  places,  are  provided  with  that  stone ;  the  near- 
ness of  Okazaki  to  the  bay  of  Owari  and  its  branches 
greatly  facilitating  the  supply  of  this  stone  to  towns  and 
cities  near  the  coast.  The  remainder  of  the  day's  journey 
was  completed  at  four  o'clock  in  the  apparently  thriving 
town  of  Yoshida,  which  is  situated  on  a  branch  of  the  great 
river  Tenriu,  which  finds  its  way  into  the  sea  further  east- 
ward. This  town  does  a  considerable  trade  in  timber,  most 
of  the  roof-rafters  for  Tokio  going  hence. 


62  JAPAN 

Early  on  Friday,  the  I4th  of  March,  after  another  night 
of  rain  we  pursued  our  journey  eastward  in  an  atmosphere 
of  delightful  freshness,  in  a  north-western  breeze  of  consid- 
erable force,  and  in  sunshine  that  made  the  morning  per- 
fect. We  were  soon  skirting  on  our  left  ranges  of  wooded 
hills,  rolling  away  to  mountains  in  the  distance.  I  was  in- 
formed that  on  one  of  the  finest  and  most  sheer  and  lofty 
of  these  high  wooded  hills  there  was  a  temple.  I  had 
chosen  a  position  in  the  procession  of  jinriki-shas  well  to  the 
rear,  so  that  I  had  before  me  the  shifting  picture  of  more 
than  a  dozen  of  these  curious  little  carriages,  with  double 
that  number  of  half-nude  men  trotting  them  along  at  a  rate 
of  six  to  seven  miles  an  hour,  their  red  and  blue  colours 
dancing  with  their  movements,  and  little  flags  surmounted 
with  branches  of  bright  heather,  or  something  like  it,  wav- 
ing at  the  side  of  each  carriage. 

When  we  came  to  Siomizaka,  there,  on  the  high  cluster 
of  granite  rocks,  several  hundred  feet  above  us,  and  on  a 
summit  to  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  lift  even  a  living 
and  breathing  life-size  goddess,  was  a  large  bronze  statue  of 
Kwannon,  thirteen  feet  high,  gazing  over  land  and  over  the 
sea,  which  we  know  by  the  name  to  be  within  her  view, 
though  we  could  not  see  it,  and  apparently  not  a  little 
proud  of  her  elevation — proud  in  the  very  presence  of  the 
Sun-Goddess  herself,  who,  indeed,  did  not  disdain  to  adorn 
her  brazen  brow  with  a  touch  of  her  own  bright  light. 

Leaving  the  goddess  to  her  lofty  meditations,  we  rolled 
on  through  a  fine  country,  very  wild,  and  wooded  and  moun- 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD        63 

tainous  on  our  left,  and  very  level,  and  cultivated  and 
glistening  with  rice-swamps  on  our  right.  The  road  next  led 
us  up  a  succession  of  long  hills,  in  ascending  which  I  gladly 
availed  myself  of  the  opportunity  thus  afforded  for  a  delight- 
ful morning  walk.  Presently  we  came  out  for  a  short  time 
upon  a  comparatively  open  road,  and  a  shrill  voice  ex- 
claimed "Fujiyama!"  and  there  indeed,  somewhat  away 
on  our  left  (broad  on  our  port  bow,  as  a  sailor  would  put 
it),  was  the  superb  mountain  which  we  had  not  seen  for 
five  weeks,  and  which,  as  it  now  stood  up,  nearly  ninety 
miles  off,  above  the  nearer  and  darker  mountains — stood  up, 
whiter  with  snow  than  if  wrought  with  silver,  purer  than 
the  very  sky  into  which  it  towered,  and  more  perfect  in 
form  than  any  mortal  hands  could  model — was  a  shrine  of 
splendour  worthy  of  the  true  God,  and  a  consecration  to 
the  land  which  is  so  fortunate  as  to  form  its  pedestal.  It 
was  a  native  gentleman  who  saw  it  first ;  not  a  poet,  not  an 
artist,  not  a  seer  of  any  sort ;  but  he  was  a  man,  and  a 
Japanese,  and  he  clapped  his  hands  and  shouted  with  de- 
light, and  with  the  joy  of  seeing  once  again  the  sacred 
mountain,  and  of  turning  the  eyes  of  us  strangers  towards  it. 
While  we  gazed  with  wonder  and  almost  with  worship 
upon  this  "  most  awful  Form,"  another  voice  shouted  "  The 
sea  !  "  and  there  on  our  right  lay  before  us,  and  low  be- 
neath us,  and  rolling  far  away  over  the  horizon's  arc,  the 
living  liquid  splendour  of  the  sea  indeed.  "  Isn't  it  just 
like  gauze  !  "  shouted  another  of  the  party  from  a  distance  ; 
and  although  one  feels  some  reluctance  to  associate  with 


64  JAPAN 

the  ocean  the  name  of  so  frail  a  thing  as  gauze,  yet  there 
was  so  soft  and  semi-transparent  and  delicate  a  look  about 
the  sea  on  this  occasion,  viewed  from  our  height,  that  one 
felt  the  verisimilitude  of  the  metaphor.  I  never  before  saw 
the  sea  so  utterly  beautiful.  On  this  sun-bright  morning, 
on  which  the  breeze  seemed  saturate  with  the  sun,  and  the 
sun  blown  through  with  breeze,  both  sun  and  breeze 
seemed  to  mix  with  the  sea,  until  the  whole  surface  foamed 
with  life  and  light. 

We  now  dipped  down  from  the  height,  and  after  a  short 
run  entered  the  village  of  Arai,  which  is — or  rather  was, 
for  the  Tokaido  has  now  taken  another  and  newer  route 
near  this  place,  and  the  gate  is  removed — one  of  the  gates 
of  the  Tokaido,  giving  upon  an  inlet  of  the  sea  over  which 
the  passengers  have  to  be  ferried.  Our  party  at  once  em- 
barked in  several  boats  which  were  awaiting  for  us,  and  a 
strong  stern  breeze  drove  us  quickly  over  the  two  or  three 
miles  of  shallow  water  to  the  village  of  Mayezaka,  in  the 
province  of  Totomi.  Here  we  re-entered  our  jinriki-shas 
and  started  for  our  luncheon-place,  Hamamatsu. 

Before  reaching  Hamamatsu  we  pass  the  broad  river  of 
Tenriu  (Tenriugawa)by  the  longest  bridge  in  Japan,  nearly 
four  thousand  feet  in  length.  This  river  is  navigable  in  its 
main  stream  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  from  the 
sea,  which  but  few  rivers  in  Japan  are,  owing  to  the  narrow- 
ness of  the  country,  and  the  nearness  of  the  mountains  to 
the  sea  in  very  many  cases. 

The  next  day's  journey  lay  chiefly  over  hills  and  river- 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD   65 

beds,  with  occasional  transits  over  lovely  valleys.  A  fine 
walk  indeed  we  had  through  Swiss-like  scenery,  with  occa- 
sional views  over  large  extents  of  lowlands,  now  and  then 
glimpses  of  the  distant  sea,  and  suddenly,  after  passing  the 
first  summit,  such  a  full-fronted  view  of  Fujiyama  as  might 
have  well  repaid  a  far  more  laborious  climb.  Later  on,  after 
passing  across  a  valley  and  ascending  a  second  hill,  we  came 
upon  another  and  still  more  beautiful  view  of  the  sacred 
mountain,  the  highest  in  Japan,  which  rises  13,000  feet 
clear  away  from  the  sea.  We  could  not,  however,  see  the 
base  from  our  position,  but  we  saw  what  was  perhaps  better 
as  an  object  of  beauty.  Below  its  snow-covered  summit 
and  sides,  the  lower  and  darker  part  of  the  mountain  ap- 
peared of  the  self-same  blue  as  the  sky  above,  so  that  the 
mountain  of  snow  seemed  poised  in  Heaven — perhaps  sus- 
pended there  after  the  fashion  in  which  one  of  our  poets 
has  imagined  the  world  to  be  — 

"  Hung  by  gold  chains  about  the  feet  of  God." 

Below  Fuji  were  lower  ranges  of  mountains,  darkly  con- 
trasting with  it ;  then,  nearer,  came  low  wooded  hills ; 
nearer  still,  the  broad,  rough,  stony  bed  of  the  Oigawa, 
with  swift  streams  chasing  down  it,  and  sand-storms  driv- 
ing over  it;  and  nearer  still  a  village,  and  tea-plantations, 
and  the  Tokaido  sweeping  down  with  its  wild  borderings 
of  old  and  twisted  trees.  On  all  the  sun  shone  brightly, 
and  over  all  the  gale  blew  swiftly,  so  that  we  had  before  us 
such  a  scene  as  artists  might  well  paint  and  poets  edit. 


66  JAPAN 

Dipping  down  to  the  village  below,  Kanaya,  where  other 
jinrlki-sbas  awaited  us,  we  started  in  them  for  Fusieda. 
Our  way  lay  first  across  the  Oigawa,  and  through  the 
driving  sand-storms  which  we  had  enjoyed  as  part  of  a 
picture,  but  which  were  anything  but  charming  as  atmos- 
pheres to  be  driven  through.  We  were  soon  beyond 
them,  however,  and  ere  long  comfortably  engaged  in  as- 
certaining the  merits  of  a  Fusieda  luncheon  in  a  very 
good  native  inn  or  hotel.  This  matter  sufficiently  de- 
termined to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  we  were  speedily  en 
route  again,  and  instead  of  skirting  the  hills  to  the  south- 
wards, as  I  expected,  turned  towards  the  hills  in  front. 
After  passing  through  a  village  at  their  base,  and  racing 
down  a  valley  between  them,  we  ascended  a  winding  or 
alternating  roadway,  which  terminated  at  the  entrance  of  a 
tunnel  through  the  mountain.  This  tunnel,  much  resem- 
bling that  of  Pozzuoli,  near  Naples,  and  lighted,  like  it, 
with  lamps  at  intervals,  was  about  a  third  of  a  mile  in 
length.  It  terminated  in  a  beautiful  valley,  down  which 
the  road  plunged,  and  up  which — as  up  the  steep  roads  of 
the  morning,  by  the  bye — several  kagos  were  being  borne, 
the  travellers  usually  walking  to  spare  the  carrying  ninsokus, 
as  this  class  of  labourers  zndjinriti-sba  men  are  called.  After 
a  few  miles  of  further  travelling,  we  saw  before  us  the 
roofs  of  a  large  town,  and  between  them  and  us  the  bed  of 
another  large  river,  which  I  rightly  took  to  be  the  Abegawa, 
the  town  or  city  beyond  being  the  terminus  of  our  day's 
run,  Shidzuoka. 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD        67 

This  town  is  the  most  notable  of  all  in  relation  to  the 
great  Tokugawa  family,  which  gave  to  Japan  its  Shoguns 
and  Tycoons  from  the  year  1603  down  to  1868,  when  the 
system  of  government  by  a  Shogun  was  brought  to  an  end. 
The  first  of  the  Tokugawa  Shoguns,  lyeyasu,  finally  took 
up  his  residence  in  Shidzuoka  after  his  great  victory  over 
his  rivals  at  Sekigahara,  near  Lake  Biwa — a  victory  which 
determined  the  government  and  fate  of  Japan  from  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Seventeenth  Century  onwards  to  our  own 
day.  Here  at  Shidzuoka,  then  known  as  Sumpu,  lyeyasu 
had  long  before  built  him  a  great  castle,  and  resided  in  it. 
He  now  returned  to  it,  and  left  it  again  only  for  two  short 
intervals,  to  suppress  rebellious  attempts.  Here  he  devoted 
himself  mainly  to  literature,  collecting  and  preserving  so 
many  old  manuscripts,  and  otherwise  so  exerting  himself 
that  it  is  said  to  be  largely  due  to  him  that  much  of  the 
ancient  Japanese  literature  is  now  in  existence. 

As  the  first,  so  the  last  of  the  Tokugawa  Tycoons  has 
made  Shidzuoka  his  place  of  residence,  for  here  now1  re- 
sides the  dethroned  Tycoon,  who  lives  in  great  privacy  and 
simplicity.  He  sees  but  few  people,  frankly  acknowledg- 
ing that  the  reassertion  of  the  Mikado's  authority  is 
just. 

Leaving  Shidzuoka  early  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th  of 
March,  we  pursued  our  course  eastward,  lunching  at  Kam- 
bara,  and  staying  for  the  next  night  at  Mishima.  Our 
route  lay  for  several  hours  with  Fujiyama  on  our  left  and 


68  JAPAN 

the  sea  on  our  right,  and  as  the  day  was  one  of  rare  fine- 
ness, and  of  very  remarkable  atmospheric  clearness,  we 
enjoyed  scenery  which  is  not  to  be  surpassed  in  the  world. 
For  some  hours  the  whole  13,000  feet  of  Fujiyama  was 
without  the  faintest  phantom  of  a  cloud — an  almost  un- 
precedented fact,  according  to  the  local  statements  made  to 
us — and  when  clouds  formed  they  merely  constituted  a  sort 
of  experimental  display,  as  if  the  governor  of  the  district 
had  carried  his  courtesy  to  the  length  of  showing  us  how 
prettily  clouds  can  be  produced  up  there  out  of  nothing ; 
how  much  softer  than  any  silk,  and  how  much  more  trans- 
parent than  any  gauze,  they  can  be  woven  when  sunbeams 
interlace  with  vapours  of  snow;  how  slowly  they  can  sail 
past  the  steadfast  mountain  front,  and  quicken  their  speed 
as  they  pass  around  and  beyond  it;  with  what  consummate 
art  they  can  veil  any  blemish  on  the  mountain's  beauty, 
and  how,  by  deepening  their  own  shade  and  darkening 
their  own  shadows,  they  can  intensify  by  contrast  even  the 
cold,  white,  solid-seeming  splendour  of  the  mountain  itself. 
As  for  the  sea,  as  it  lay  lake-like  but  vast  in  the  beautiful 
Suruga  Bay,  sparkling  in  a  setting  of  coloured  mountains, 
its  solicitations  to  the  eye  were  urgent  and  perpetual.  A 
morning  or  two  before  it  seemed  to  fairly  foam  with 
brightness ;  but  on  this  occasion  its  brightness  was  more 
definite  and  intense,  more  like  one  might  expect  it  to  ap- 
pear if  its  whole  surface  were  surging  with  liquid  diamonds. 
I  have  no  power  to  describe  the  combined  beauty  of  the 
mountain  on  the  one  hand  and  the  sea  on  the  other,  on  this 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD   69 

middle  day  of  March  ;  but  to  assist  the  reader  in  imaging 
it,  I  ought  to  repeat  that  for  hours  we  had  full  before  us 
the  immense  sweep  of  this  huge  tower  of  silver  and  blue, 
from  the  summit,  high  in  heaven,  clear  down  to  the  spark- 
ling sea.  O  for  the  skill  of  some  more  than  mortal  artist 
with  which  to  fix  before  the  eye  this  glorious  picture ! — 
and  indeed  those  many  pictures  of  this  hallowed  mountain 
as  it  appeared  from  our  ever-shifting  points  of  view 
throughout  the  day. 

Where  a  branch  of  Suruga  Bay  comes  close  up  to  the 
hills,  the  Tokaido  passing  along  the  strand  between,  stands 
the  beautiful  Buddhist  (Zen-Shu)  temple  of  Seikenji  ("  Clear 
View  Temple  ") — beautiful  for  its  position  overlooking  the 
bay  and  the  mountains  beyond  ;  beautiful  for  its  buildings, 
which  are  among  the  best  that  we  have  seen  of  the  purely 
Japanese  type  ;  and  beautiful  for  its  garden  at  the  back, 
formed  from  the  mountain  side,  with  a  small  natural  torrent 
pouring  down  it,  and  with  trees  of  great  variety  scattered  in 
a  highly  picturesque  manner  over  its  rocky  amphitheatre. 
In  front  of  this  temple  is  a  plum-tree,  planted  by  the  hand 
of  the  great  lyeyasu  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago.  The 
residential  buildings  of  the  temple  were  in  part  rebuilt 
eleven  years  ago,1  and  have  been  occupied  for  a  short  time 
by  the  now  reigning  Mikado,  who  once  stayed  here  on  ac- 
count of  the  salubrity  of  the  place.  We  halted  and  visited 
this  temple,  the  chief  priest  kindly  showing  us  its  treasures 
among  which  were  letters  of  lyeyasu  and  Hideyoshi. 


yo  JAPAN 

Most  of  the  villages  passed  through  on  the  day  now 
under  notice  were  on  or  near  to  the  shore  of  Suruga  Bay, 
along  which  the  Tokaido  sweeps,  and  the  villagers  were 
largely  occupied  in  drying  fish  for  manure.  There  was 
also  carried  on  in  favourable  places,  and  on  a  large  scale 
the  method  of  obtaining  salt  from  the  sea,  by  throwing  sea- 
water  over  prepared  beds  of  salt,  and  allowing  the  sun's  heat 
to  evaporate  the  water  and  leave  the  salt.  The  largest 
river  crossed  was  Fuji-kawa  which  runs  down  from  the 
inland  mountains  past  the  western  side  of  Fujiyama,  en- 
tering the  sea  close  to  the  base  of  that  mountain.  Its  main 
channel  is  about  seventy  miles  long.  When  we  passed  it 
was  flowing  with  swiftness  through  one  main  channel  of  suf- 
ficient width  to  compel  us  to  cross  in  ferry-boats  in  the 
absence  of  a  bridge,  but  the  bed  of  the  river,  which  must  be 
nearly  two  miles  wide,  was  dry.  Three  times  a  year  the 
whole  of  the  broad  bed  is  covered  with  the  torrent.  The 
Tokaido  proper  crosses  this  river  by  a  bridge  much  higher 
up ;  but  we  took  a  short  cut,  and  with  it  a  very  bad  sandy 
road,  so  that  I  doubt  if  we  gained  anything  in  time. 

It  was  five  o'clock  before  we  arrived  at  Mishima,  having 
visited  some  pleasant  gardens  at  Hara,  after  lunching  at 
Kambara.  Immediately  after  alighting  from  our  jinriki- 
shaS)  in  which  we  had  been  with  brief  intervals  for  nearly 
ten  hours,  we  proceeded  to  visit  the  great  Shinto  temple  of 
Mishima  Gengin,  at  the  invitation  of  the  chief  priest, 
Mayada,  a  temple  so  ancient  as  regards  its  foundation  that 
no  one  knows  when  it  was  founded,  and  a  chief  priest  so 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD    71 

pleasant  that  I  do  not  wish  to  meet  a  pleasanter.  This  is 
the  temple  by  which  Japanese  pledge  themselves  when  they 
wish  to  make  a  very  solemn  and  binding  engagement. 
Two  of  the  junior  priests  received  us  at  the  outer  Tori-i  and 
led  us  to  the  temple  proper,  where  the  chief  priest  awaited 
us  with  the  temple  band  playing.  Some  of  us  went  through 
the  simply  ceremony  of  washing  the  hands  and  putting  a 
branch  of  the  sacred  tree  into  its  place.  We  then  ex- 
amined the  treasures  of  the  temple,  including  a  very  ancient 
vase,  said  to  belong  to  the  period  of  the  gods, — dating,  that 
is,  from  before  the  reign  of  Jimmu-Tenno,  the  first  Mikado, 
which  commenced,  according  to  the  histories,  six  hundred 
and  sixty  years  before  Christ ;  an  imperial  order  or  warrant 
to  the  temple  from  the  empress  Gensho,  written  nearly  twelve 
hundred  years  ago  ;  likewise,  numerous  small  articles  which 
once  belonged  to  Yoritomo  and  his  mother  (Twelfth  Cen- 
tury), having  been  brought  here  from  the  palace  of  Kama- 
kura;  a  very  ancient  flute,  known  as  the  flute  of  ivory  ;  a 
sword  which  was  used  by  the  Daimio  of  Hizen  in  sub- 
duing the  Christian  Japanese ;  and  collections  of  other 
swords  and  of  robes  of  distinction  which  have  from  time 
to  time,  during  many  centuries,  been  presented  to  the  tem- 
ple, and  many  of  which  as  the  reader  will  suppose,  were 
viewed  with  interest.  The  chief  priest  presented  us  with 
some  of  the  "  god's  food  "  in  the  form  of  boxes  of  sweet- 
meats which  had  been  offered  to  the  god  at  the  altar,  and 
had  remained  there  the  usual  time  ;  and  likewise  with  a 
written  description  of  the  temple,  and  some  of  the  simple 


72  JAPAN 

temple  remembrances  such  as  pilgrims  take  away  with 
them. 

The  next  day  our  route  lay  over  the  Hakone  Mountains, 
the  pass  of  which,  although  broad  and  in  the  main  of  mod- 
erate gradients,  is  in  places  so  steep,  and  everywhere  paved 
with  such  large  rough  stones,  as  to  be  almost  impracticable 
for  jinriki-sbas.  The  usual  course  is  therefore  to  resort  to 
the  kago^  or  light  carriage  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  men. 

We  had  a  very  suitable  day  for  crossing  these  Hakone 
Mountains,  the  atmosphere  being  clear  and  inclined  to 
brightness,  but  with  continuous  screens  of  cloud  to  protect 
us  from  the  fiercer  heat  and  light  of  the  sun's  direct  beams. 
We  obtained  as  we  ascended  glorious  views  over  the  coun- 
try we  were  leaving  from  Fujiyama  westward  over  the 
fruitful  Shidzuoka  Ken,  and  southward  over  the  fine  bay  of 
Suruga  and  the  Idzu  hills  and  vales.  The  road  is  pillared 
on  either  side  throughout  with  ancient  pine-trees,  that  make 
it  like  a  vast  continuous  cathedral  aisle,  but  one  unlike  all 
human  architecture  in  its  ascents  and  descents,  in  the 
twisted,  contorted  earth  grasping  character  of  its  column- 
pedestals,  and  in  the  shifting  lights  and  shadows  that  stream 
through  its  rustling  roof.  Occasionally  we  heard  the  melo- 
dious notes  of  the  uguisu,  a  wood-bird  much  celebrated  in 
the  poetry  of  the  country.  It  has  a  note  like  one  of  the 
best  "  phrases  "  of  the  nightingale,  if  the  musical  world 
will  allow  the  expression  ;  but  its  range  is  limited.  It  is, 
however,  a  pretty  though  a  brief  bit  of  nightingale  melody, 
and  is  sufficient  of  itself  to  make  answer  to  those  who  say 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD   73 

that  bird-song  has  been  omitted  altogether  from  the  delights 
of  Japan.1  The  uguisu  is  said  by  the  poets  "  to  come  war- 
bling with  the  plum-blossom."  And  as  one  is  here  speak- 
ing of  birds,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  add  that  throughout 
most  of  the  country,  and  more  still  throughout  the  towns  of 
Japan  of  which  I  have  had  experience,  there  has  been  a 
marked  abundance  of  hawks  and  eagles  on  the  wing — these 
being,  in  fact,  with  wild  ducks  and  wild  geese,  the  birds 
most  usually  seen  here.  We  observed  on  this  road  the  proc- 
ess of  preparing  the  bark  of  the  koso  for  paper  manufacture. 
There  were  also — if  I  may  be  allowed  to  vary  the  subject 
of  my  remarks  with  something  like  the  rapidity  with  which 
the  objects  of  observation  varied  on  the  roadside — numerous 
small  shrines  at  intervals,  and  occasionally  a  rough  monu- 
mental tablet  to  the  memory  of  some  long-deceased  person 
of  eminence.  It  was  touching  to  note  that  here,  high  up 
on  this  mountain  road,  the  memory  of  persons  who  had 
been  dead  for  centuries  was  kept  green  still  by  a  living  hand 
placing  before  the  stone  in  a  bit  of  bamboo  cane,  a  branch 
of  fresh  spring  verdure. 


1  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  been  looking  over  the  proof  of  a  paper 
by  my  friend  Capt.  Hawes,  of  Tokio,  descriptive  of  a  tour  made  by  him 
in  the  interior  of  Japan,  in  which  I  find  a  similar  view  stated.  After  de- 
scribing the  delicious  perfume  of  the  air  as  not  unlike  the  fragrance  of  the 
meadow-sweet  at  home,  he  adds  :  "  This  combined  with  the  clear  note  of 
the  cuckoo,  which  sounded  pleasantly  through  the  woods,  the  warble  of 
the  nightingale,  and  the  harsher  song  of  the  jay,  which  were  heard  all 
around,  does  certainly  rather  upset  the  theory  of  some  writers,  who  assert 
that  <  Japan  is  a  country  in  which  the  birds  do  not  sing  and  the  flowers 
have  no  smell.' " 


74  JAPAN 

Our  hard  walk  over  the  mountain  was  relieved  by  fre- 
quent stoppages  for  rest  and  the  slight  but  welcome  refresh- 
ment of  a  cup  of  Japanese  tea.  There  were  numerous  tea- 
houses by  the  way,  and  at  any  of  them  this  could  be  got ; 
but  having  the  honour  of  travelling  with  a  cabinet  minister 
of  the  country,  and  one  of  the  most  thoughtful  and  kindly 
of  hosts,  our  necessities  had  all  been  anticipated  by  his  offi- 
cers, or  by  those  of  the  Ken  or  county.  A  long  way  up 
the  mountain  we  halted  at  a  spot  whence  the  view  west- 
ward was  thought  to  be  the  finest  on  the  pass,  and  where 
consequently  a  little  view  house  had  been  erected  for  his  Maj- 
esty the  emperor  on  his  journey  already  mentioned.  Our 
view  of  the  great  solitary  king  of  mountains,  Fuji,  was  al- 
ready, by  our  change  of  position,  getting  seriously  compro- 
mised by  other  mountains  intervening,  and  he  had  donned  a 
sort  of  helmet  or  crown  of  cloud  ;  a  little  later  he  became 
like  our  own  King  Arthur,  on  the  night  of  his  final  leave- 
taking  from  the  queen,  for  the  rolling  vapour 

"  Enwound  him  fold  by  fold,  and  made  him  grey, 
And  greyer,  till  himself  became  as  mist," 

and  he  was  seen  no  more  before  the  close  of  our  journey  to 
the  capital. 

Soon  after  the  descent  commenced  we  reached  the  di- 
viding line  between  the  Kens  of  Shidzuoka  and  Kanagawa, 
which  was  notified  by  notice-posts,  and  was  further  marked 
in  the  present  instance  by  a  change  of  police.  After  chang- 
ing guard  and  commencing  the  descent  towards  Hakone, 


THE  GREAT  TOKAIDO  ROAD        75 

we  came  upon  a  fine  view  of  the  pretty  little  lake  of  that 
name,  which  has  an  area  of  three  and  a  half  square  miles, 
and  upon  the  bank  of  which  stands  the  village. 

In  passing  out  of  Hakone  we  saw  the  sight  of  old  To- 
kaido  gate,  and  the  remains  of  the  gate  buildings.  In  the 
days  of  the  Tycoons  this  Tokaido  high  road  was  blocked 
by  three  defensible  gates,  which  people  were  allowed  through 
only  with  passports.  These  gates  were  known  as  s'eki,  and 
appear  to  have  been  kept  with  great  care  down  to  the  close 
of  the  Tycoon's  government,  as  I  have  heard  from  those 
who  travelled  over  the  Tokaido  in  comparatively  recent 
times  of  the  difficulties  experienced  in  getting  quickly 
through  the  gates,  and  of  the  insistence  of  those  in  charge 
upon  all  passengers,  even  the  sick  and  weak,  alighting  from 
their  kagos  to  pass  through. 

The  road  beyond  the  old  Hakone  gate,  going  eastwards 
(as  we  were),  rises  again  occasionally,  but  to  no  very  great 
extent — if  my  observation  from  a  yama-kago,  in  a  nearly 
horizontal  position  may  be  trusted — but  there  were  long  de- 
scents, with  many  very  steep  and  winding  places,  to  be 
made  before  our  destination,  Yumoto,  was  reached.  The 
scenery  was  fine,  and  for  the  greater  part  wooded,  with  a 
torrent  tumbling  down  the  valley,  and  the  hedges  enlivened 
by  violets  and  by  a  variegated  bamboo  plant  with  green  and 
yellow  in  each  stem  and  leaf. 

From  Fuji-sawa  to  Kanagawa  the  distance  is  over  fifteen 
English  miles  :  we  travelled  it  in  exactly  two  hours,  or  at 
the  rate  of  over  seven  and  a  half  miles  an  hour,  although 


76  JAPAN 

this  part  of  the  journey  included  the  most  and  worst  of  the 
hills,  and  the  worst  part  of  the  road.  On  a  smooth  good 
road,  such  as  the  Tokaido  often  is  beyond  the  Hakone 
Mountains,  and  where  there  are  but  few  towns  upon  it,  the 
jinriki-sha  men  frequently  ran  us  along  at  eight  miles  per 
hour.  I  may  add  that  hearing,  as  I  had  often  done,  of  the 
excellence  of  this  great  highway  between  what  were  for- 
merly the  capitals  of  the  Mikado  and  the  Tycoon,  I  was 
quite  astonished  at  the  state  in  which  I  saw  it  in  most  of 
the  towns  and  villages  through  which  it  passed. 

But  whether  the  Tokaido  be  good  or  bad,  our  journey 
upon  it  was  now  over. 


TOKIO 

FREDERIC  H.  BALFOUR 

WHETHER  it  is  the  largest  city  in  the  world  I 
do  not  know — probably  not ;  but  it  is  larger 
than  London,1  which  covers  only  sixty-four 
square  miles,  while  Tokio  covers  a  hundred.  In  fact,  it  is 
less  a  city,  as  we  understand  the  word,  than  a  huge,  strag- 
gling, beautiful  village,  or  rather,  perhaps,  a  group  of  vil- 
lages ;  for  often  you  may  find  yourself  in  some  green, 
rural  spot,  and  imagine  that  you  have  reached  the  country, 
only  to  turn  the  corner,  and  lo  !  you  are  in  a  bustling  street 
again.  There  is  a  story,  for  the  truth  of  which  I  do  not 
vouch,  that  an  American  once  got  into  •&  jinriki-sba,  and  was 
pulled  about  for  a  week,  trying  to  find  Tokio.  He  gave  it 
up  at  last,  persuaded  that  there  was  no  such  place.  Others, 
however,  have  been  more  successful.  I  was  myself,  and  I 
have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that,  in  my  opinion,  Tokio  is 
one  of  the  most  peculiar  and  most  beautiful  cities  in  the 
world.  True,  when  you  get  out  at  Shinbashi  Terminus, 
its  beauty  does  not  strike  you.  In  front  stretches  the  great 
main  street — part  of  a  thoroughfare  three  hundred  miles 
long,  known  as  the  Tokaido — lined  with  shops  of  all  sorts, 
trams,  omnibuses,  andjinri&i-shas  careering  hither  and  thither, 

'  1894. 
77 


78  JAPAN 

this  way  and  that;  newspaper  offices  covered  with  posters; 
telegraph  and  telephone  wires  over  your  head  ;  the  chim- 
neys of  great  factories  smoking  here  and  there;  and  life, 
business,  and  bustle  all  around.  This  is  interesting,  but  it 
is  not  picturesque.  Follow  the  street,  however,  for  about 
three  miles,  and  you  will  come  to  one  of  the  great  play- 
grounds of  the  metropolis,  Ueno  Park;  and  here,  in  addi- 
tion to  magnificent  cryptomerias,  lovely  sylvan  glades, 
gorgeous  old  temples  to  dead  Shogun,  and  a  big,  though  I 
am  sorry  to  say  exceedingly  ugly,  Buddha — the  only  ugly 
one  I  have  ever  seen — you  will  find  a  switchback  railway, 
numberless  restaurants  and  tea-houses,  a  beautiful  Zoolog- 
ical Garden,  a  School  of  Art,  a  School  of  Music,  a  Public 
Library,  a  Museum,  a  Fine  Art  Exhibition,  and  many 
other  resorts  of  pleasure  and  instruction.  Or,  if  you  bend 
your  steps  inland  from  the  bay,  you  come  upon  the  three 
great  concentric  moats,  encircling  the  Imperial  Palace,  with 
their  grand  grassy  slopes  crowned  with  immemorial  pine- 
trees  growing  in  all  sorts  of  contorted  shapes;  the  remains 
of  ancient  yashiki,  or  Daimios'  palaces ;  Shiba  Park,  with 
its  precipitous  hills,  deep  shady  groves,  and  temples  of  pe- 
culiar sanctity;  broad,  high,  undulating  roads,  which  wind 
upward  in  the  bright  sunlight  like  the  pathways  in  some 
theological  allegory ;  palaces  again,  standing  in  ornamental 
grounds,  and  hidden  by  gigantic  trees ;  the  modern  resi- 
dences of  Imperial  Princes  and  members  of  the  nobility,  all 
handsomely-appointed  mansions  that  would  not  discredit 
Park  Lane ;  and  then,  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  abrupt 


TOKIO  79 

cliffs  or  bluffs,  richly  wooded,  commanding  extensive 
views,  and  topped  by  some  pleasant  suburban  villa  sur- 
rounded by  an  undulating  lawn.  A  little  further  yet,  and 
you  find  yourself  in  the  country,  in  good  earnest ;  strolling 
through  lanes  like  the  lanes  of  Devonshire ;  a  yellow  corn- 
field here,  a  stretch  of  blue-green  rice-fields  there,  so  much 
foliage  that  you  can  never  get  quite  as  good  a  view  as  you 
would  like  ;  the  pleasant  throbbing  of  a  water-mill  in  your 
ears,  and  a  general  sensation  of  smiling,  sunny  peace. 
Let  us  suppose  it  is  November.  The  foliage  presents 
great  masses  of  rich  colouring — green,  golden,  crimson, 
and  bronze ;  the  hawk  sails,  noiseless  and  graceful,  through 
the  air;  the  feathery  bamboo  copse  in  which  you  stand 
waves  almost  imperceptibly  in  the  breeze ;  the  bees  hum 
slumberously  among  the  tea-plants;  ever  and  anon  the 
mellow  tones  of  a  temple-bell  come  booming  from  some 
neighbouring  country  shrine  ;  the  sky  is  as  clear  and  as 
blue  as  a  great  sapphire,  and  the  whole  world  seems  to  lie 
basking  in  a  flood  of  golden  heat. 

Naturally  it  is  only  residents  who  see  this  side  of  Tokio. 
The  "  globe-trotter  "  lives  in  one  of  the  hotels,  and  devotes 
his  attention  to  what  may  be  called  the  show-places  of  the 
town — the  curio-shops,  the  University,  the  principal  tem- 
ples, and  a  few  well-known  restaurants.  These  are  all  in- 
teresting in  their  way,  but  the  true  charm  of  Tokio,  to  me, 
lies  in  its  gardens  and  its  rural  districts.  There  is  one 
garden  that  is  worthy  of  special  mention.  Close  to  the 
entrance  there  is  a  big,  unsightly  Arsenal,  the  red-brick 


8o  JAPAN 

chimney  of  which  belches  out  volumes  of  thick  black 
smoke.  Within  five  seconds  after  you  have  passed  through 
the  gate  you  find  yourself  in  what  I  can  only  describe  as  a 
stretch  of  wild  Highland  scenery — glens,  groves,  waterfalls, 
and  all  complete.  The  Korakuen  is  one  of  the  glories  of 
Tokio,  and  a  favourite  place  for  garden  parties.  The  first 
time  I  went  there  was  when  the  young  Marquis  Kuroda, 
formerly  Prince  of  Fuknoka,  gave  a  great  entertainment  to 
celebrate  the  completion  of  his  political  majority.  Part  of 
it  is  so  arranged  as  to  represent  in  miniature,  the  stretch  of 
country  between  the  capital  and  Kioto,  including  Fujiyama 
and  Lake  Biwa.  The  whole  was  laid  out  by  an  eminent 
Chinese  refugee  nearly  three  hundred  years  ago. 

Now,  of  course,  it  is  impossible  to  describe  Tokio  in  a 
few  score  of  lines,  and,  of  course,  I  do  not  pretend  to  have 
done  it.  All  I  have  tried  to  do  is  to  give  you  a  general 
idea  of  the  place,  an  impressionist  daub  ;  not  a  pre-Raphael- 
ite,  highly  finished  picture.  There  are  many  streets  that 
are  narrow  and  squalid,  and  rather  smelly  ;  there  are  disa- 
greeable sights,  too  ;  for  the  Japanese  cleanliness  of  which 
we  hear  so  much  is,  in  my  opinion,  rather  a  legend  ;  and 
the  weather,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  is  frankly  de- 
testable. But  the  charms  of  the  place  outweigh  its  draw- 
backs. I  lived  for  over  two  years  in  a  bungalow  on  the  top 
of  Bird-rest  Hill,  in  the  suburban  ward  of  Azabu ;  and 
from  the  height  of  my  hanging-garden  I  looked  over  a  sec- 
tion of  the  city  that  spread  beneath  me,  framed  in  by  the 
thick  foliage  of  Shiba  Park  on  one  side,  and  Mita  Hill  on 


TOKIO  81 

the  other ;  the  blue  waters  of  the  bay,  flecked  by  scores  of 
white-sailed  fishing-boats,  sparkling  in  the  middle  distance, 
and  the  mountains  showing  lavendar-grey  beyond.  To 
others,  Tokio  may  be  a  dull,  uninteresting  place.  To  me, 
it  is  one  of  the  very  few  places  that  I  know  of  in  the  solar 
system  worth  living  in. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  ASAKUSA 

JUDITH  GAUT1ER 

ASAKUSA  is  dedicated  to  Kwannon,  the  Chinese 
and  Japanese  Madonna,  the  charming  Goddess  of 
Mercy,  who  descended  into  hell,  and  by  the 
fervour  of  her  compassion,  delivered  the  condemned  and 
showered  upon  them  a  rain  of  flowers. 

Stone  lanterns  of  a  very  peculiar  form  are  placed  in  front 
of  the  monumental  gate  which  gives  access  to  the  precincts 
of  the  temple.  To  go  through  this  you  pass  under  a  gigantic 
round  lantern,  ornamented  with  Chinese  characters,  which 
hangs  between  two  cylindrical  lanterns.  Under  the  gate, 
on  the  right  and  left,  there  rise  the  Two  Kings,  guardians 
of  the  gate. 

Beyond  the  gate,  you  walk  on  through  wide  avenues, 
paved  with  stones  and  bordered  with  many  rows  of  cedars 
hundreds  of  years  old,  under  which  are  grouped  booths 
bright  with  a  medley  of  standards,  ornamented  with  lanterns 
and  banners  and  filled  with  all  kinds  of  charming  bibelots 
and  beautifully  dressed  dolls  :  it  is  the  most  animated  kind 
of  a  kermess,  with  its  mountebanks,  its  theatres,  its  fortune- 
tellers, and  all  kinds  of  entertainments. 

This  perpetual   festival  that  surrounds  the  temple  does 

not  seem  very  favourable  to  the  encouragement  of  pious 

82 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  ASAKUSA         83 

ideas  ;  however,  as  you  advance,  and,  in  the  midst  of  the 
cedars,  the  imposing  mass  of  the  temple  appears,  of  a  deep 
red  with  enormous  roofs  turning  up  at  the  edges  and  when 
you  see  that  tower  with  its  five  stages  springing  towards 
the  sky  with  such  an  extraordinary  and  novel  aspect,  you 
are  truly  seized  with  a  respectful  emotion. 

Before  going  into  the  temple,  you  are  required  to  wash 
your  hands  and  your  mouth  in  a  great  stone  trough,  with 
the  aid  of  a  wooden  dipper  with  a  long  handle  that  is  float- 
ing on  the  water. 

As  soon  as  you  have  gone  through  the  gate  of  the  vesti- 
bule, you  find  yourself  in  a  reposeful  and  mysterious 
shadow  in  the  midst  of  a  tumult  of  voices  and  the  rustling 
of  the  wings  of  clouds  of  pigeons  that  inhabit  the  temple. 
You  stop  at  the  vestibule  to  make  some  purchases  from 
the  various  kinds  of  merchants  who  are  installed  there ; 
first,  a  package  of  tiny  rings  of  perfumed  paste  to  burn  in 
honour  of  the  gods ;  then,  from  the  merchants  who  are 
squatting  on  their  heels,  little  saucers  of  terra  cotta  filled 
with  rice  for  the  sacred  pigeons.  To  the  left,  in  a  pen 
with  lacquered  walls,  you  see  a  pigmy  horse,  entirely  white 
with  pale  eyes ;  it  is  an  Albino  horse  consecrated  to 
Kwannon.  Upon  his  back  is  a  symbolical  piece  of  paper 
cut  out  nearly  in  the  form  of  a  cross  and  held  on  by  strips 
of  silk.  They  also  sell  you  something  to  offer  to  the 
gentle  Albino  :  some  cooked  peas  in  a  terra  cotta  plate. 

The  interior  of  the  temple  consists  of  one  single  hall, 
tall  and  immense,  with  a  forest  of  round  columns  painted 


84  JAPAN 

red,  the  capitals  of  which  are  lost  in  the  shadows  of  the 
ceiling.  In  the  background  the  altar  appears  in  a  warm 
reflection  of  gold  and  glimmering  lights.  Gigantic  Bud- 
dhas  of  gilded  wood  with  half  closed  eyes  and  faint  smiles 
are  vaguely  perceived  behind  the  great  blind  that  hangs 
down  before  them — a  trellis  of  iron  worked  like  lace — and 
surrounded  by  banners,  lanterns,  lamps  and  magnificent 
bouquets  of  flowers  of  gilded  metal. 

Each  one  of  the  faithful  throws  his  scented  rings  into 
a  gigantic  bronze  incense-burner,  whose  open-worked 
cover  is  ornamented  with  the  signs  of  the  zodiac  and 
terminated  by  a  chimaerical  lion.  Tiny  threads  of  the 
blue  smoke  spring  from  the  holes  and  mount  as  they 
quiver  and  unfold  into  diaphanous  lilies  which  soon  drop 
their  leaves  and  make  a  pale  fog  high  above  in  the 
mysterious  shadow.  This  fog  of  perfumes  renders  still 
more  confused  those  singular  objects  that  hang  about  and 
scintillate  from  various  heights :  there  are  large  round  dais 
with  splendid  fringes  of  silk,  fantastic  beasts  embroidered 
upon  banners  upon  which  you  perceive  shining  scales  of 
gold,  lanterns  of  all  forms  upon  which  are  painted  black 
dragons  or  large  Chinese  letters,  streamers  and  waving 
strips  of  silk  ornamented  with  braids  and  tassels,  inscriptions 
and  maxims  painted  or  embroidered,  and  other  unfamiliar 
objects. 

From  the  base  to  the  inaccessible  heights,  the  walls  are 
entirely  covered  with  pictures  of  all  kinds  painted  on  satin, 
gauze  and  paper,  carved  in  wood,  marble,  ivory,  and 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  ASAKUSA         85 

mother-of-pearl,  or  magnificently  embroidered  upon  silk  or 
velvet.  They  represent  scenes  in  the  lives  of  saints, 
celebrated  legends,  terrible  descriptions  of  the  sufferings 
in  hell  or  simply  the  images  of  gods  and  goddesses, 
particularly  Kwannon,  the  gentle  protectress  of  the  temple. 
There  are  some  beautiful  sabres  with  open-worked  guards, 
or  carved  wooden  sabres,  or  formed  of  coins  strung 
together.  With  these  pieces  of  copper  they  also  form 
Chinese  characters :  the  name  Amida  occurs  the  most 
frequently. 

Bonzes  wander  about  among  the  crowds,  or  remain  on 
the  ground  before  the  chapels  by  the  side  of  the  relics. 
All  have  their  heads  entirely  shaved  and  wear  robes  with 
sleeves  of  the  most  extraordinary  size.  They  give  to  the 
faithful  whatever  pious  information  they  desire,  or  conduct 
them  to  the  saint  whom  they  wish  to  honour.  Some- 
times, at  a  given  signal,  they  all  go  to  the  high  altar,  and, 
ranging  themselves  around  an  old  bonze  in  his  sacerdotal 
robes,  they  chant  prayers  while  accompanying  themselves 
on  several  instruments  that  make  a  shrill  music. 

On  every  side  the  devotees  are  kneeling  upon  the 
pavement  before  their  chosen  altar ;  they  mutter  their 
prayers  aloud,  and  every  now  and  then  clap  their  hands 
as  if  they  were  applauding.  To  the  right  of  the  central 
altar,  the  statue  of  a  saint,  who  is  greatly  venerated  as  he 
has  the  power  of  curing  all  illness,  attracts  many  people. 
This  personage  in  red  lacquered  wood,  and  about  the  size 
of  a  little  boy,  is  seated  in  an  arm-chair.  He  represents 


86  JAPAN 

Bindzuru  one  of  Buddha's  first  six  disciples.  Ah,  he  is 
not  very  beautiful,  this  Bindzuru  :  he  has  neither  form  nor 
features  on  account  of  the  continual  friction  of  the 
believers;  for  you  must  rub  the  ailing  parts  of  the  body 
against  the  statue  in  order  to  accomplish  the  miracle.  He 
ought  to  cure  the  sick,  this  poor  saint  !  He  ought  to  be 
kindly  treated,  for  he  is  himself  quite  ill :  he  looks  like  a 
chocolate  man  half  sucked.  A  constant  noise  is  heard 
above  the  murmur  of  the  crowd  ;  it  is  the  shock  of  pieces 
of  money  that  are  falling  without  interruption  in  the  alms- 
chest,  a  great  square  box  about  three  metres  long  and  one 
metre  wide  and  standing  under  a  bamboo  trellis.  And  in 
the  midst  of  all  this  noise,  the  pretty  children  run  about 
upon  the  sonorous  stones  with  gentle  laughter,  or  perhaps 
stopping,  as  if  in  ecstasy,  at  the  foot  of  a  column,  throw 
rice  to  the  sacred  pigeons. 

Outside  the  temple  there  are  still  a  thousand  things  to 
see.  All  the  pleasures  are  collected  in  this  enclosure : 
apart  from  the  numerous  chapels,  it  contains  a  circus, 
theatres,  galleries  for  archery,  and  countless  tea-houses 
where  the  young  and  elegant  people  of  the  city  have  de- 
lightful parties. 

There  is  everything  in  the  enclosure  of  Asakusa.  Tokio 
has  its  Museum  there.  About  forty  pictures  are  arranged, 
to  the  left  of  the  great  temple  in  a  gallery  ;  they  are  called 
1-ki-nine-gnio,  "  the  living  dolls,"  and  these  wax  dolls  are  so 
expressive  that  you  might  easily  believe  they  were  living 
pictures.  All  the  scenes  are  represented  that  relate  to 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  ASAKUSA         87 

the  miracles  due  to  the  inexhaustible  kindness  of  Kwan- 
non. 

But  there  are  still  things  that  are  worthy  of  being  seen  in 
the  territory  of  Asakusa,  among  others,  the  gardens  and  the 
nurseries,  taken  care  of  by  skilful  horticulturists.  All  kinds 
of  dwarf  trees  appear  here,  by  what  process  obtained  I  do 
not  know  :  cedars  which  are  planted  in  porcelain  jars,  doll 
pines,  tiny  peach-trees,  bamboos  fine  as  knitting-needles ; 
then  carpets  of  delicate  grass  like  green  feathers,  grassy 
plants  that  bristle  with  prickles  and  resemble  wicked  beasts, 
and  a  magnificent  variety  of  rare  flowers :  rose-coloured, 
purple  and  white  peonies  as  large  as  cabbages ;  chrysanthe- 
mums that  open  out  as  big  as  plates.  And  the  fruit-trees, 
those  marvels  whose  blossoming  at  Spring-tide  is  the  de- 
light of  poets.  All  varieties  of  lemon,  peach  and  cherry- 
trees,  and  above  all  the  incomparable  plum,  whose  beauty 
cannot  be  imagined,  which  blooms  in  the  depths  of  winter 
under  the  snow  and  whose  flowers  are  more  deliciously 
scented  than  roses. 

There  is  as  yet  no  lift  in  the  Five-storied  Pagoda,  and 
the  way  up  is  very  steep  by  a  zigzag  stairway,  where  it  is 
very  dark  ;  but  you  are  well  repaid  for  your  trouble  when  you 
finally  emerge  in  the  open  air  on  the  last  platform. 

An  ocean  of  grey  roofs,  which  waves,  waves  to  the  very 
edge  of  the  horizon,  appears  to  you,  broken  by  islands  of 
verdure  and  great  clear  spaces ;  mirrors  which  confuse 
everything  as  if  pieces  of  the  sky  had  fallen  upon  the  earth 
and  lead  on  to  infinite  distances ;  these  are  the  rivers,  the 


88  JAPAN 

ponds  and  the  canals.  But  the  glance  is  suddenly  attracted 
and  fixed  far  away  from  all  this  by  the  extraordinary  moun- 
tain, of  which  I  can  never  say  enough  :  the  surprising,  the 
marvellous,  the  unique  Fujiyama!  There  appears  over 
yonder  towards  the  south-west  a  gigantic  and  solitary  cone, 
very  tall,  very  pale  and  rosy,  with  bluish  shadows  over  it 
like  wrinkles.  The  base  is  wreathed  in  mists,  and  it  looks 
therefore  as  if  it  were  suspended  in  the  air  and  supported 
by  the  clouds. 


BUDDHAS,  ASAKUSA. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  HATCHIMAN 

AIME  HUMBERT 

AT  the  present  time  we  find  at  Kamakoura  the  Pan- 
theon of  the  glories  of  Japan.  It  is  composed 
of  a  majestic  collection  of  sacred  buildings  which 
have  always  been  spared  by  the  fury  of  civil  war.  They 
are  placed  under  the  invocation  of  Hatchiman,  one  of 
the  great  national  Kamis.  Hatchiman  belongs  to  the 
heroic  period  of  the  Empire  of  the  Mikados.  His  mother 
was  the  Empress  Zingou,  who  effected  the  conquest  of 
the  three  kingdoms  of  Korea,  and  to  whom  divine  honours 
are  rendered.  Each  year,  on  the  ninth  day  of  the  ninth 
month,  a  solemn  procession  to  the  tomb  which  is  conse- 
crated to  her  at  Fousimi,  in  the  country  of  Yamasiro,  com- 
memorates her  glorious  deeds.  Zingou  herself  surnamed 
her  son  Fatsman,  "  the  eight  banners,"  in  consequence  of 
a  sign  which  appeared  in  the  heavens  at  the  birth  of  the 
child.  Thanks  to  the  education  which  she  gave  him,  she 
made  him  the  bravest  of  her  soldiers  and  the  most  skilful 
of  her  generals.  When  she  had  attained  the  age  of  one 
hundred  years,  she  transmitted  the  sceptre  and  crown  of  the 
Mikados  to  her  son,  in  the  year  270  of  our  era.  He  was 
then  seventy-one  years  old.  Under  the  name  of  Woozin 
he  reigned  gloriously  for  forty-three  years,  and  was  raised, 

89 


90  JAPAN 

after  his  death,  to  the  rank  of  a  protecting  genius  of  the 
Empire.  He  is  especially  revered  as  the  patron  of  soldiers. 
In  the  annual  fetes  dedicated  to  him,  Japan  celebrates  the 
memory  of  the  heroes  who  have  died  for  their  country. 
The  popular  processions  which  take  place  on  this  occasion 
revive  the  ancient  pomps  of  Kami  worship.  Even  the 
horses  formerly  destined  for  sacrifice  are  among  the  cortege  ; 
but  instead  of  being  immolated,  they  are  turned  loose  on  the 
race-course. 

Most  of  the  great  cities  of  Japan  possess  a  Temple  of 
Hatchiman.  That  of  Kamakoura  is  distinguished  above 
all  the  others  by  the  trophies  which  it  contains.  Two  vast 
buildings  are  required  for  the  display  of  this  national  wealth. 
There,  it  is  said,  are  preserved  the  spoils  of  the  Korean  and 
the  Mongol  invasions,  also  objects  taken  from  the  Portu- 
guese Colonies,  and  the  Christian  communities  of  Japan  at 
the  epoch  when  the  Portuguese  were  expelled,  and  the  Jap- 
anese Christians  were  exterminated  by  order  of  the  Shoguns. 

No  European  has  ever  yet  been  permitted  to  view  the 
trophies  of  Kamakoura. 

While  all  European  states  like  to  display  the  treasures 
which  they  have  respectively  seized  or  won  in  their  fron- 
tier and  dynastic  wars,  Japan  hides  all  monuments  of  its 
military  glory  from  foreigners.  They  are  kept  in  reserve, 
like  a  family  treasure,  in  venerable  sanctuaries,  to  which  no 
profane  feet  ever  find  access. 

On  approaching  the  Temple  of  Hatchiman,  we  per- 
ceived that  our  arrival  had  been  announced,  and  that 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  HATCHIMAN     91 

the   bonzes   were   closing   the  shutters  of  their  treasure- 
house. 

The  Temples  of  Hatchiman  are  approached  by  long 
lines  of  those  great  cedar-trees  which  form  the  avenues  to 
all  places  of  worship  in  Japan.  As  we  advance  along  the 
avenue  on  the  Kanagawa  side,  chapels  multiply  themselves 
along  the  road,  and  to  the  left,  upon  the  sacred  hills,  we 
also  come  in  sight  of  the  oratories  and  commemorative 
stones  which  mark  the  stations  of  the  processions ;  on  the 
right  the  horizon  is  closed  by  the  mountain,  with  its  grottos, 
its  streams,  and  its  pine  groves.  After  we  have  crossed 
the  river  by  a  fine  wooden  bridge,  we  find  ourselves  sud- 
denly at  the  entrance  of  another  alley,  which  leads  from 
the  sea-side,  and  occupies  a  large  street.  This  is  the  prin- 
cipal avenue,  intersected  by  three  gigantic  70r/V,  and  it 
opens  on  the  grand  square  in  front  of  the  chief  staircase 
of  the  main  building  of  the  Temple.  The  precinct  of  the 
sacred  place  extends  into  the  street,  and  is  surrounded  on 
three  sides  by  a  low  wall  of  solid  masonry,  surmounted  by  a 
barrier  of  wood  painted  black  and  red.  Two  steps  lead  to 
the  first  level.  There  is  nothing  to  be  seen  there  but  the 
houses  of  the  bonzes,  arranged  like  the  side-scenes  of  a 
theatre,  amid  trees  planted  along  the  barrier-wall,  with  two 
great  oval  ponds  occupying  the  centre  of  the  square.  TKey 
are  connected  with  each  other  by  a  large  canal  crossed  by 
two  parallel  bridges,  each  equally  remarkable  in  its  way. 
That  on  the  right  is  of  white  granite,  and  it  describes  an 
almost  perfect  semicircle,  so  that  when  one  sees  it  for  the 


92  JAPAN 

first  time  one  supposes  that  it  is  intended  for  some  sort  of 
geometrical  exercise;  but  I  suppose  that  it  is  in  reality  a 
bridge  of  honour  reserved  for  the  gods  and  the  good  genii 
who  come  to  visit  the  Temple.  The  bridge  on  the  left  is 
quite  flat,  constructed  of  wood  covered  with  red  lacquer, 
with  balusters  and  other  ornaments  in  old  polished  copper. 
The  pond  crossed  by  the  stone  bridge  is  covered  with  mag- 
nificent white  lotus  flowers, — the  pond  crossed  by  the 
wooden  bridge  with  red  lotus  flowers.  Among  the  leaves 
of  the  flowers  we  saw  numbers  of  fish,  some  red  and  others 
like  mother  of  pearl,  with  glittering  fins,  swimming  about 
in  waters  of  crystal  clearness.  The  black  tortoise  glides 
among  the  great  water-plants  and  clings  to  their  stems. 

After  having  thoroughly  enjoyed  this  most  attractive 
spectacle,  we  go  on  towards  the  second  enclosure.  It  is 
raised  a  few  steps  higher  than  the  first,  and,  as  it  is  pro- 
tected by  an  additional  sanctity,  it  is  only  to  be  approached 
through  the  gate  of  the  divine  guardians  of  the  sanctuary. 
This  building,  which  stands  opposite  the  bridges,  contains 
two  monstrous  idols,  placed  side  by  side  in  the  centre  of 
the  edifice.  They  are  sculptured  in  wood,  and  are  covered 
from  head  to  foot  with  a  thick  coating  of  vermilion.  Their 
grinning  faces  and  their  enormous  busts  are  spotted  all 
over  with  innumerable  pieces  of  chewed  paper,  which  the 
native  visitors  throw  at  them  when  passing,  without  any 
more  formality  than  would  be  used  by  a  number  of  school- 
boys out  for  a  holiday.  Nevertheless,  it  is  considered  a 
very  serious  act  on  the  part  of  the  pilgrims.  It  is  the 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  HATCHIMAN     93 

means  by  which  they  make  the  prayer  written  on  the  sheet 
of  chewed  paper  reach  its  address,  and  when  they  wish  to 
recommend  anything  to  the  gods  very  strongly  indeed,  they 
bring  as  an  offering  a  pair  of  straw  slippers  plaited  with 
regard  to  the  size  of  the  feet  of  the  Colossus,  and  hang 
them  on  the  iron  railings  within  which  the  statues  are  en- 
closed. Articles  of  this  kind,  suspended  by  thousands  to 
the  bars,  remain  there  until  they  fall  away  in  time,  and  it 
may  be  supposed  that  this  curious  ornamentation  is  any- 
thing but  beautiful. 

Here  a  lay  brother  of  the  bonzes  approached  us,  and  his 
interested  views  were  easily  enough  detected  by  his  bear- 
ing. We  hastened  to  assure  him  that  we  required  nothing 
from  his  good  offices,  except  access  to  an  enclosed  building. 
With  a  shake  of  his  head,  so  as  to  make  us  understand  that 
we  were  asking  for  an  impossibility,  he  simply  set  himself 
to  follow  us  about  with  the  mechanical  precision  of  a 
subaltern.  He  was  quite  superfluous,  but  we  did  not  allow 
his  presence  to  interfere  with  our  admiration.  A  high 
terrace,  reached  by  a  long  stone  staircase,  surmounted  the 
second  enclosure.  It  is  sustained  by  a  Cyclopean  wall,  and 
in  its  turn  supports  the  principal  Temple  as  well  as  the 
habitations  of  the  bonzes.  The  grey  roofs  of  all  these  dif- 
ferent buildings  stand  out  against  the  sombre  forest  of 
cedars  and  pines.  On  the  left  are  the  buildings  of  the 
Treasury ;  one  of  them  has  a  pyramidal  roof  surmounted 
by  a  turret  of  bronze  most  elegantly  worked.  At  the  foot 
of  the  great  terrace  is  the  Chapel  of  the  Ablutions.  On 


94  JAPAN 

our  right  stands  a  tall  pagoda,  constructed  on  the  principle 
of  the  Chinese  pagodas,  but  in  a  more  sober  and  severe 
style.  The  first  stage,  of  a  quadrangular  form,  is  sup- 
ported by  pillars ;  the  second  stage  consists  of  a  vast  cir- 
cular gallery,  which,  though  extremely  massive,  seems  to 
rest  simply  upon  a  pivot.  A  painted  roof  terminated  by  a 
tall  spire  of  cast  bronze,  embellished  with  pendants  of  the 
same  metal,  completes  the  effect  of  this  strange  but  exquis- 
itely proportioned  building. 

All  the  doors  of  the  building  which  I  have  enumerated 
are  in  good  taste.  The  fine  proportions,  the  rich  brown 
colouring  of  the  wood,  which  is  almost  the  only  material 
employed  in  their  construction,  is  enhanced  by  a  few  touches 
of  red  and  dragon  green,  and  the  effect  of  the  whole  is  per- 
fect ; — add  to  the  picture  a  frame  of  ancient  trees  and  the 
extreme  brilliancy  of  the  sky,  for  the  atmosphere  of  Japan 
is  the  most  transparent  in  the  world. 

We  went  beyond  the  pagoda  to  visit  a  bell-tower,  where 
we  were  shown  a  large  bell  beautifully  engraved,  and  an 
oratory  on  each  side  containing  three  golden  images,  a  large 
one  in  the  centre  and  two  small  ones  on  either  side.  Each 
was  surrounded  by  a  nimbus. 

We  then  went  to  see  the  Daiboudhs,  which  is  the  won- 
der of  Kamakoura.  This  building  is  dedicated  to  the 
Daiboudhs,  that  is  to  say,  to  the  great  Buddha,  and  may  be 
regarded  as  the  most  finished  work  of  Japanese  genius, 
from  the  double  points  of  view  of  art  and  religious  senti- 
ment. The  Temple  of  Hatchiman  had  already  given  us  a 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  HATCHIMAN     95 

remarkable  example  of  the  use  which  native  art  makes  of 
nature  in  producing  that  impression  of  religious  majesty 
which  in  our  northern  climates  is  effected  by  Gothic  archi- 
tecture. The  Temple  of  Daiboudhs  differs  considerably 
from  the  first  which  we  had  seen.  Instead  of  the  great 
dimensions,  instead  of  the  illimitable  space  which  seemed 
to  stretch  from  portal  to  portal  down  to  the  sea,  a  solitary 
and  mysterious  retreat  prepares  the  mind  for  some  super- 
natural revelation.  The  road  leads  far  away  from  every 
habitation ;  in  the  direction  of  the  mountain  it  winds 
about  between  hedges  of  tall  shrubs.  Finally,  we  see 
nothing  before  us  but  the  high  road,  going  up  and  up  in 
the  midst  of  foliage  and  flowers ;  then  it  turns  in  a  totally 
different  direction,  and  all  of  a  sudden,  at  the  end  of  the 
alley,  we  perceive  a  gigantic  brazen  Divinity,  squatting 
with  joined  hands,  and  the  head  slightly  bent  forward  in  an 
attitude  of  contemplative  ecstasy.  The  involuntary 
amazement  produced  by  the  aspect  of  this  great  image  soon 
gives  place  to  admiration.  There  is  an  irresistible  charm 
in  the  attitude  of  the  Daiboudhs,  as  well  as  in  the  harmony 
of  its  proportions.  The  noble  simplicity  of  its  garments 
and  the  calm  purity  of  its  features  are  in  perfect  accord 
with  the  sentiment  of  serenity  inspired  by  its  presence. 
A  grove,  consisting  of  some  beautiful  groups  of  trees, 
forms  the  enclosure  of  the  sacred  place,  whose  silence  and 
solitude  are  never  disturbed.  The  small  cell  of  the  attend- 
ant priest  can  hardly  be  discerned  amongst  the  foliage. 
The  altar,  on  which  a  little  incense  is  burning  at  the  feet  of 


96  JAPAN 

the  Divinity,  is  composed  of  a  small  brass  table  orna- 
mented by  two  lotus  vases  of  the  same  metal,  and  beautifully 
wrought.  The  steps  of  the  altar  are  composed  of  large 
slabs  forming  regular  lines.  The  blue  of  the  sky,  the  deep 
shadow  of  the  statue,  the  sombre  colour  of  the  brass,  the 
brilliancy  of  the  flowers,  the  varied  verdure  of  the  hedges 
and  the  groves,  fill  this  solemn  retreat  with  the  richest  ef- 
fect of  light  and  colour.  The  idol  of  the  Daiboudhs,  with 
the  platform  that  supports  it,  is  twenty  yards  high. 


ft 


THE  SHIBA  TEMPLE 

CHRISTOPHER  DRESSER 

SHIBA  lies  in  the  north-east  quarter  of  Tokio.  It  is 
reached  by  a  pleasant  short  drive  from  the  railway 
station.  The  impression  which  I  now  receive  upon 
first  beholding  the  magnificent  temples  and  shrines  standing 
before  me  as  I  step  from  our  carriage  is  most  delightful. 
Buildings,  so  rich  in  colour,  so  beautiful  in  detail,  so  striking 
in  symbolism,  I  have  never  before  seen  or  dreamt  of.  Had 
a  Gibbons  been  employed  on  the  wood-carvings,  had  the 
colourist  of  the  Alhambra  done  his  utmost  to  add  to  forms, 
which  in  themselves  are  almost  perfect,  a  new  charm 
through  the  addition  of  pigments,  and  were  the  whole  of 
such  details  subordinated  to  fitting  places  in  a  vast  architec- 
tural edifice  by  the  architects  of  the  Parthenon,  no  more 
worthy  effect  could  be  produced  than  that  of  the  buildings 
on  which  my  eyes  now  rest. 

The  Temple  of  Shiba,  like  most  of  the  large  temples 
dedicated  to  the  service  of  Buddhism,  consisted  of  seven 
buildings,  one  of  which  may  be  regarded  as  more  strictly  in 
itself  the  Temple,  while  another  is  in  all  cases  a  pagoda, — 
the  pagoda  bearing  much  the  same  relation  to  the  Buddhist 
edifice  that  a  spire  does  to  a  Christian  church.  Unfortu- 
nately the  chief  building  of  the  seven  has  been  lately  (1882) 

97 


98  JAPAN 

burnt  by,  it  is  believed,  revolutionary  incendiaries,  and  I  am 
informed  that  this  building  was  more  beautiful  than  any  now 
remaining  ;  yet  how  any  building  could  be  more  beautiful 
than  those  which  have  escaped,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  under- 
stand. 

We  walk  through  the  courtyard  inspecting  the  long  rows 
of  stone  lanterns,  and  viewing  the  exteriors  of  the  various 
buildings  on  which  we  find  birds,  flowers,  water,  and  clouds 
carved  with  a  tenderness  and  boldness  scarcely  to  be  sur- 
passed, and  so  coloured  that  each  object  retains  its  individ- 
ual beauty,  while  the  various  parts  combine  to  produce  an 
effect  almost  perfect.  The  art  treatment  of  the  natural  ob- 
jects is  semi-conventional,  the  carving  is  of  the  crispest, 
and  the  subjects  are  chosen  with  the  view  of  symbolizing 
the  power  of  the  Buddhist's  god  over  all  created  things. 

Shiba  is  not  only  a  Buddhist  shrine,  but  like  our  West- 
minster Abbey,  is  a  resting-place  for  the  mighty  dead.  Here 
five  of  Japan's  great  Shoguns  (also  called  Tycoons)  were 
buried,  and  the  Shogun  (who  was  practically  the  temporal 
ruler  of  Japan)  was  of  the  Buddhist  faith,  while  the  Mikado 
(whom  we  have  described  as  the  spiritual  ruler)  was  of  the 
Shinto  religion.  Shoguns  found  their  resting-place  in  tombs 
of  great  beauty,  while  over  the  ashes  of  the  Mikados  are 
heaped  mere  mounds  of  earth. 

We  are  looking  and  wondering  at  all  the  loveliness  out- 
spread before  us  when  a  shaven-headed  priest  comes  for- 
ward to  conduct  us  into  the  largest  of  the  edifices  which 
now  remain.  Before  entering  it  we  have  to  put  off  our 


THE  SHIBA  TEMPLE  99 

shoes.  This  it  was  right  that  we  should  do,  were  it  only 
because  the  balcony  to  which  the  steps  before  us  lead,  and 
the  floor  of  the  temple  itself,  are  of  polished  black  lacquer. 
The  surface  of  these  floors  may  be  compared  with  that  of 
the  best  papier-mache  tray  that  Wolverhampton  ever 
made. 

There  is  little  in  the  way  of  wall  in  connexion  with  either 
Japanese  temples  or  houses  ;  but  of  the  structure  of  their 
buildings  more  will  be  said  when  we  come  to  consider  their 
architecture.  However,  the  building  before  us  is  a  large  en- 
closed space,  covered  by  a  massive  roof,  supported  on  up- 
rights, between  which  are  what  we  may  regard  as  movable 
shutters; — the  columns  and  shutters  forming  the  boundary 
of  the  building.  The  floor  of  the  temple  extends  about  six 
feet  beyond  the  central  enclosed  part  as  a  balcony,  and  it  is 
this  balcony  which  I  have  just  mentioned  as  being  bright 
black.  The  roof  of  the  temple  overhangs  the  balcony  and 
protects  it  from  the  weather,  while  the  constructive  rafters 
and  joists  which  support  it  are  left  fully  exposed  to  view. 
Internally  we  have  a  ceiling  of  which  the  structural 
features  are  not  visible.  The  ceiling  is  panelled  out  into 
small  squares,  and  is  decorated  ;  red,  blue,  green,  white  and 
gold  being  applied  to  it  in  all  their  intensity. 

It  might  be  thought  that  such  a  system  of  colouring  as  this 
could  only  produce  a  coarse  and  vulgar  effect ;  but  this  is  not 
so,  for  the  overhanging  roof  which  approaches  within  about 
four  feet  of  the  railing  of  the  surrounding  balcony  does  not 
permit  the  entrance  of  any  excessive  amount  of  light ;  and 


ioo  JAPAN 

the  light  which  ultimately  reaches  the  ceiling  is  all  re- 
flected, and  that  from  a  black  floor. 

We  are  now  taken  by  our  shaven-headed  priest  to  see  the 
tombs  of  the  Shoguns.  In  front  of  each  tomb  stands  a 
square  building  or  shrine,  one  of  which  by  his  orders  is 
opened  at  both  back  and  front,  that  we  may  look  on  the 
monument  behind. 

I  am  so  much  pleased  with  the  one  temple  which  I  have 
been  permitted  to  enter,  and  my  art  enthusiasm  has  been 
already  so  fully  kindled,  that  my  desire  to  see  the  interior 
of  these  sacred  shrines  becomes  almost  irresistible  ;  but  I  am 
told  that  none  but  great  officials  can  enter  these  sanctuaries, 
as  each  building  contains  the  sacred  name  of  the  now  deified 
Shogun  whose  remains  are  entombed  behind.  I  believe  that 
the  holy  father  mistakes  my  enthusiastic  admiration  of  the 
art  of  the  edifice  for  religious  enthusiasm,  as  he  somewhat 
excitedly  exclaims,  "  You  are  a  great  Shogun,"  and  allows 
me  to  enter  a  building  which  few,  if  any,  Europeans  have 
up  to  this  time  been  permitted  to  inspect. 

These  shrines  are  as  beautiful  as  the  larger  temples  which 
we  have  already  seen,  and  their  details  are  as  perfectly 
wrought.  But  as  I  yet  fail  to  comprehend  the  object  of 
these  buildings,  for  what  the  sacred  name  of  a  deceased 
Shogun  may  be,  I  do  not  understand.  Ultimate  inquiry  led 
me  to  see  that  throughout  Japan  there  is  a  strange  con- 
fusion of  Buddhism  and  Shintoism  ;  for  while  Shintoism 
deifies  heroes,  Buddhism,  in  its  purity,  does  nothing  of  the 
kind.  Nevertheless,  as  the  Mikado,  while  yet  regarded  as 


THE  SHIBA  TEMPLE  101 

the  God  incarnate  of  the  Shinto  Church,  offers  in  public  on 
certain  days  of  the  year  prayers  for  his  people  at  certain 
Buddhist  shrines,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  lead- 
ing sanctuaries  of  Japan  should  betray  a  blending  so  incon- 
sistent. 

Upon  the  death  of  a  famous  Japanese,  be  he  daimio 
(baron),  hero,  benefactor,  or  Shogun,  he  is  exalted  to  the 
rank  of  a  god,  when  his  name  in  the  god  world  is  allotted  to 
him.  This  name,  sacred  and  unpronounceable  by  mortal 
lips,  is  inscribed  on  a  tablet  of  about  two  feet  in  length  by  four 
inches  in  breadth  ;  and  it  is  this  god  name  which  the  shrines 
in  front  of  the  Shogun's  tombs  are  intended  to  encase  and 
preserve.  Every  precaution  is  taken  to  insure  the  safety  of 
these  tablets,  as  in  the  belief  of  the  Japanese  the  gravest 
calamities  might  befall  the  nation  if  any  should  be  lost  or 
destroyed. 

On  this  memorable  day,  which  will  always  be  a  "  red 
letter  day  "  in  my  history,  I  learnt  many  facts  of  deep  in- 
terest, and  I  have  certainly  beheld,  enshrined  in  cryptomerias 
and  other  cone-bearing  trees  of  vast  proportions,  an  amount 
of  architectural  beauty  such  as  I  have  never  before  seen. 


IN  YOKOHAMA 

LAFCADIO  HEARN 

THE   first   charm   of    Japan    is   as    intangible    and 
volatile  as  a  perfume.     It  began  for  me  with  my 
first  kuruma  ride  out  of  the  European  quarter  of 
Yokohama  into  the  Japanese  town ;  and  so  much  as  I  can 
recall  of  it  is  hereafter  set  down. 

It  is  with  the  delicious  surprise  of  the  first  journey 
through  Japanese  streets — unable  to  make  one's  kuruma 
runner  understand  anything  but  gestures,  frantic  gestures  to 
roll  on  anywhere,  everywhere,  since  all  is  unspeakably 
pleasurable  and  new — that  one  first  receives  the  real  sensation 
of  being  in  the  Orient,  in  this  Far  East  so  much  read  of,  so 
long  dreamed  of,  yet,  as  the  eyes  bear  witness,  heretofore  all 
unknown.  There  is  a  romance  even  in  the  first  full 
consciousness  of  this  rather  commonplace  fact ;  but  for  me 
this  consciousness  is  transfigured  inexpressibly  by  the 
divine  beauty  of  the  day.  There  is  some  charm  unutterable 
in  the  morning  air,  cool  with  the  coolness  of  Japanese 
spring  and  wind-waves  from  the  snowy  cone  of  Fuji ;  a 
charm  perhaps  due  rather  to  softest  lucidity  than  to  any 
positive  tone, — an  atmospheric  limpidity  extraordinary, 
with  only  a  suggestion  of  blue  in  it,  through  which  the 
most  distant  objects  appear  focused  with  amazing  sharp- 

102 


IN  YOKOHAMA  103 

ness.  The  sun  is  only  pleasantly  warm  ;  the  jinrika-sha,  or 
kuruma,  is  the  most  cosy  little  vehicle  imaginable ;  and  the 
street-vistas,  as  seen  above  the  dancing  white  mushroom- 
shaped  hat  of  my  sandalled  runner,  have  an  allurement  of 
which  I  fancy  that  I  could  never  weary. 

Elfish  everything  seems ;  for  everything  as  well  as  every- 
body is  small,  and  queer,  and  mysterious :  the  little  houses 
under  their  blue  roofs,  the  little  shop-fronts  hung  with  blue, 
and  the  smiling  little  people  in  their  blue  costumes.  The 
illusion  is  only  broken  by  the  occasional  passing  of  a  tall 
foreigner,  and  by  divers  shop-signs  bearing  announcements 
in  absurd  attempts  in  English.  Nevertheless  such  discords 
only  serve  to  emphasize  reality;  they  never  materially 
lessen  the  fascination  of  the  funny  little  streets. 

'Tis  at  first  a  delightfully  odd  confusion  only,  as  you 
look  down  one  of  them,  through  an  interminable  flutter  of 
flags  and  swaying  of  dark  blue  drapery,  all  made  beautiful 
and  mysterious  with  Japanese  or  Chinese  lettering.  For 
there  are  no  immediately  discernible  laws  of  construction  or 
decoration  :  each  building  seems  to  have  a  fantastic  pretti- 
ness  of  its  own ;  nothing  is  exactly  like  anything  else,  and 
all  is  bewilderingly  novel.  But  gradually,  after  an  hour 
passed  in  the  quarter,  the  eye  begins  to  recognize  in  a 
vague  way  some  general  plan  in  the  construction  of  these 
low,  light,  queerly-gabled  wooden  houses,  mostly  unpainted, 
with  their  first  stories  all  open  to  the  street,  and  thin  strips  of 
roofing  sloping  above  each  shop-front,  like  awnings,  back  to 
the  miniature  balconies  of  paper-screened  second  stories. 


104  JAPAN 

You  begin  to  understand  the  common  plan  of  the  tiny 
shops,  with  their  matted  floors  well  raised  above  the  street 
level,  and  the  general  perpendicular  arrangement  of  sign- 
lettering,  whether  undulating  on  drapery,  or  glimmering  on 
gilded  and  lacquered  signboards.  You  observe  that  the 
same  rich,  dark  blue  which  dominates  in  popular  costume 
rules  also  in  shop  draperies,  though  there  is  a  sprinkling  of 
other  tints, — bright  blue  and  white  and  red  (no  greens  or 
yellows).  And  then  you  note  also  that  the  dresses  of  the 
labourers  are  lettered  with  the  same  wonderful  lettering  as 
the  shop  draperies.  No  arabesques  could  produce  such  an 
effect.  As  modified  for  decorative  purposes  these  ideo- 
graphs have  a  speaking  symmetry  which  no  design  without 
a  meaning  could  possess.  As  they  appear  on  the  back  of  a 
workman's  frock — pure  white  on  dark  blue — and  large 
enough  to  be  easily  read  at  a  great  distance  (indicating  some 
guild  or  company  of  which  the  wearer  is  a  member  or 
employee),  they  give  to  the  poor  cheap  garment  a  factitious 
appearance  of  splendour. 

"  Tera  e  yuke  !  " 

I  have  been  obliged  to  return  to  the  European  hotel, — 
not  because  of  the  noon-meal,  as  I  really  begrudge  myself 
the  time  necessary  to  eat  it,  but  because  I  cannot  make  Cha 
understand  that  I  want  to  visit  a  Buddhist  temple.  Now 
Cha  understands;  my  landlord  has  uttered  the  mystical 
words, — 

"  Tera  e  yuke  !  " 

A  few  minutes  of  running  along  broad  thoroughfares 


IN  YOKOHAMA  105 

lined  with  gardens  and  costly  ugly  European  buildings; 
then  passing  the  bridge  of  a  canal  stocked  with  unpainted 
sharp-prowed  craft  of  extraordinary  construction,  we  again 
plunge  into  narrow,  low,  bright,  pretty  streets, — into 
another  part  of  the  Japanese  city.  And  Cha  runs  at  the 
top  of  his  speed  between  more  rows  of  little  ark-shaped 
houses,  narrower  above  than  below ;  between  other  unfa- 
miliar lines  of  little  open  shops.  And  always  over  the 
shops  little  strips  of  blue-tiled  roof  slope  back  to  the  paper- 
screened  chamber  of  upper  floors ;  and  from  all  the  facades 
hang  draperies  dark-blue  or  white,  or  crimson, — foot- 
breadths  of  texture  covered  with  beautiful  Japanese  letter- 
ing, white  on  blue,  red  on  black,  black  on  white.  But  all 
this  flies  by  swiftly  as  a  dream.  Once  more  we  cross  a 
canal ;  we  rush  up  a  narrow  street  rising  to  meet  a  hill ; 
and  Cha,  halting  suddenly  before  an  immense  flight  of  broad 
stone  steps,  sets  the  shafts  of  his  vehicle  on  the  ground 
that  I  may  dismount,  and,  pointing  to  the  steps,  exclaims, — 

"  Tera  !  " 

I  dismount,  and  ascend  them,  and,  reaching  a  broad  ter- 
race, find  myself  face  to  face  with  a  wonderful  gate,  topped 
by  a  tilted,  peaked,  many-cornered  Chinese  roof.  It  is  all 
strangely  carven,  this  gate.  Dragons  are  intertwined  in  a 
frieze  above  its  open  doors ;  and  the  panels  of  the  doors 
themselves  are  similarly  sculptured ;  and  there  are  gargoyles 
— grotesque  lion  heads — protruding  from  the  eaves.  And 
the  whole  is  grey,  stone-coloured ;  to  me,  nevertheless,  the 
carvings  do  not  seem  to  have  the  fixity  of  sculpture ;  all 


106  JAPAN 

the  snakeries  and  dragonries  appear  to  undulate  with  a 
swimming  motion,  elusively,  in  eddyings  as  of  water. 

I  turn  a  moment  to  look  back  through  the  glorious  light. 
Sea  and  sky  mingle  in  the  same  beautiful  pale  clear  blue. 
Below  me  the  billowing  of  bluish  roofs  reaches  to  the  verge 
of  the  unruffled  bay  on  the  right,  and  to  the  feet  of  the 
green  wooded  hills  flanking  the  city  on  two  sides.  Beyond 
that  semicircle  of  green  hills  rises  a  lofty  range  of  serrated 
mountains,  indigo  silhouettes.  And  enormously  high  above 
the  line  of  them  towers  an  apparition  indescribably  lovely, 
— one  solitary  snowy  cone,  so  filmily  exquisite,  so  spiritu- 
ally white,  that  but  for  its  immemorially  familiar  outline, 
one  would  surely  deem  it  a  shape  of  cloud.  Invisible  its 
base  remains,  being  the  same  delicious  tint  as  the  sky  :  only 
above  the  eternal  snow-line  its  dreamy  cone  appears,  seem- 
ing to  hang,  the  ghost  of  a  peak,  between  the  luminous 
land  and  the  luminous  heaven, — the  sacred  and  matchless 
mountain,  Fujiyama. 

"  Tera  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Cha,  tera." 

But  only  for  a  brief  while  do  I  traverse  Japanese  streets. 
The  houses  separate,  become  scattered  along  the  feet  of  the 
hills:  the  city  thins  away  through  little  valleys  and  vanishes 
at  last  behind.  And  we  follow  a  curving  road,  overlooking 
the  sea.  Green  hills  slope  steeply  down  to  the  edge  of  the 
way  on  the  right ;  on  the  left,  far  below,  spreads  a  vast 
stretch  of  dun  sand  and  salty  pools  to  a  line  of  surf  so 
distant  that  it  is  discernible  only  as  a  moving  white  thread. 


IN  YOKOHAMA  107 

The  tide  is  out ;  and  thousands  of  cockle-gatherers  are 
scattered  over  the  sands,  at  such  distances  that  their  stoop- 
ing figures,  dotting  the  glimmering  sea-bed,  appear  no 
larger  than  gnats.  And  some  are  coming  along  the  road 
before  us,  returning  from  their  search  with  well-filled 
baskets, — girls  with  faces  almost  as  rosy  as  the  faces  of 
English  girls. 

As  the  jinriki-sha  rattles  on,  the  hills  dominating  the 
road  grow  higher.  All  at  once  Cha  halts  again  before  the 
steepest  and  loftiest  flight  of  temple  steps  I  have  yet  seen. 

I  climb  and  climb,  halting  perforce  betimes,  to  ease  the 
violent  aching  of  my  quadriceps  muscles  ;  reach  the  top 
completely  out  of  breath  ;  and  find  myself  between  two 
lions  of  stone ;  one  showing  his  fangs,  the  other  with  jaws 
closed.  Before  me  stands  the  temple,  at  the  farther  end 
of  a  small  bare  plateau  surrounded  on  three  sides  by  low 
cliffs, — a  small  temple,  looking  very  old  and  grey.  From 
a  rocky  height  to  the  left  of  the  building,  a  little  cataract 
rumbles  down  into  a  pool,  ringed  in  by  a  palisade.  The 
voice  of  the  water  drowns  all  other  sounds.  A  sharp  wind 
is  blowing  from  the  ocean :  the  place  is  chill  even  in  the 
sun,  and  bleak,  and  desolate,  as  if  no  prayer  had  been 
uttered  in  it  for  a  hundred  years. 

Cha  taps  and  calls,  while  I  take  off  my  shoes  upon  the 
worn  wooden  steps  of  the  temple;  and  after  a  minute  of 
waiting,  we  hear  a  muffled  step  approaching  and  a  hollow 
cough  behind  the  paper  screens.  They  slide  open  ;  and  an 
old  white-robed  priest  appears,  and  motions  me,  with  a  low 


io8  JAPAN 

bow,  to  enter.  He  has  a  kindly  face ;  and  his  smile  of 
welcome  seems  to  me  one  of  the  most  exquisite  I  have 
ever  been  greeted  with.  Then  he  coughs  again,  so  badly 
that  I  think  if  I  ever  come  here  another  time,  I  shall  ask 
for  him  in  vain. 

I  go  in,  feeling  that  soft,  cushioned  matting  beneath  my 
feet  with  which  the  floors  of  all  Japanese  buildings  are 
covered.  I  pass  the  indispensable  bell  and  lacquered  read- 
ing-desk ;  and  before  me  I  see  other  screens  only,  stretch- 
ing from  floor  to  ceiling.  The  old  man,  still  coughing, 
slides  back  one  of  these  upon  the  right,  and  waves  me  into 
the  dimness  of  an  inner  sanctuary,  haunted  by  faint  odours 
of  incense.  A  colossal  bronze  lamp,  with  snarling  gilded 
dragons  coiled  about  its  columnar  stem,  is  the  first  object  I 
discern ;  and,  in  passing  it,  my  shoulder  sets  ringing  a  fes- 
toon of  little  bells  suspended  from  the  lotus-shaped  summit 
of  it.  Then  I  reach  the  altar,  gropingly,  unable  yet  to  dis- 
tinguish forms  clearly.  But  the  priest,  sliding  back  screen 
after  screen,  pours  in  light  upon  the  gilded  brasses  and  the 
inscriptions ;  and  I  look  for  the  image  of  the  Deity,  or 
presiding  Spirit  between  the  altar-groups  of  convoluted 
candelabra.  And  I  see — only  a  mirror,  a  round,  pale 
disk  of  polished  metal  and  my  own  face  therein,  and 
behind  this  mockery  of  me  a  phantom  of  the  far 
sea. 

Only  a  mirror !  Symbolizing  what  ?  Illusion  ?  or  that 
the  Universe  exists  for  us  solely  as  the  reflection  of  our  own 
souls  ?  or  the  old  Chinese  teaching  that  we  must  seek  the 


IN  YOKOHAMA  109 

Buddha  only  in  our  own  hearts  ?  Perhaps  some  day  I 
shall  be  able  to  find  out  all  these  things. 

"  Hotel,  Cha,  hotel !  "  I  cry  out  again,  for  the  way  is 
long,  and  the  sun  sinking, — sinking  in  the  softest  imagin- 
able glow  of  topazine  light.  I  have  not  seen  Shaka  (so 
the  Japanese  have  transformed  the  name  Sakya-Muni);  I 
have  not  looked  upon  the  face  of  the  Buddha.  Perhaps  I 
may  be  able  to  find  his  image  to-morrow,  somewhere  in 
this  wilderness  of  wooden  streets,  or  upon  the  summit  of 
some  yet  unvisited  hill. 

The  sun  is  gone ;  the  topaz-light  is  gone ;  and  Cha  stops 
to  light  his  lantern  of  paper  j  and  we  hurry  on  again,  be- 
tween two  long  lines  of  painted  paper  lanterns  suspended 
before  the  shops :  so  closely  set,  so  level  those  lines  are, 
that  they  seem  two  interminable  strings  of  pearls  of  fire. 
And  suddenly  a  sound — solemn,  profound,  mighty — peals 
to  my  ears  over  the  roofs  of  the  town,  the  voice  of  the 
tsurigane,  the  great  temple-bell  of  Nungiyama. 


FUJI-SAN 

SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

YOU  would  not  wonder,  residing  here,  that  every- 
body in  Japan  talks  about  Fuji,  and  thinks  about 
her-,  paints  her  on  fans,  and  limns  her  with 
gold  on  lacquer ;  carves  her  on  temple-gates  and  house- 
fronts,  and  draws  her  for  curtains  of  shops  and  signboards  of 
inns,  rest-houses  and  public  institutions.  Living  in  Tokio 
or  Yokohama,  or  anywhere  along  this  Tokaido — the  South- 
ern road  of  Japan — you  would  soon  perceive  how  the  great 
volcano  dominates  every  landscape,  asserts  perpetually 
her  sovereignty  over  all  other  hills  and  mountains,  and 
becomes  in  reality  as  well  as  imagination,  an  indispensable 
element  in  the  national  scenery. 

Fuji-San,  even  among  her  loftiest  sisters,  is  a  giantess, 
nearer,  by  the  best  calculation,  to  13,000  than  12,000  feet 
of  elevation.  The  legend  is  that  she  rose  in  a  single  night, 
at  about  the  date  of  Alexander  the  Great;  and  it  is  not  im- 
possible. In  806  A.  D.,  a  temple  was  established  on  the 
mountain  to  the  honour  of  the  beautiful  Goddess  Ko- 
nohana-saku-ya  Hime,  though  there  is  also  a  special  deity  of 
the  eminence  styled  "  O-ana-mochi-no-Mikoto,"  which 
means  "  Possessor  of  the  Great  Hole  or  Crater." 

As  late  as  the  Fourteenth  Century  Fuji  was  constantly 
no 


FUJI-SAN  111 

smoking,  and  fire  is  spoken  of  w:th  the  eruptions,  the  last 
of  which  took  place  in  December,  1707,  and  continued  for 
nearly  forty  days.  The  Ho-Yei-san,  or  hump  in  the 
south  face,  was  probably  then  formed.  In  this,  her  final 
outbreak,  Fuji  covered  Tokio  itself,  sixty  miles  away,  with 
six  inches  of  ash,  and  sent  rivers  of  lava  far  and  wide. 
Since  then  she  has  slept,  and  only  one  little  spot  underneath 
the  Kwan-nom-Gatake,  on  the  lip  of  the  crater,  where 
steam  exhales,  and  the  red  pumice-cracks  are  hot,  shows 
that  the  heart  of  this  huge  volcano  yet  glows,  and  that  she 
is  capable  of  destroying  again  her  own  beauty  and  the  for- 
ests and  rich  regions  of  fertility  which  clothe  her  knees  and 
feet. 

It  is  a  circuit  of  120  miles  to  go  all  round  the  base  of 
Fuji-San.  If  you  could  cut  a  tunnel  through  her  from 
Yoshiwara  to  Kawaguchi,  it  would  be  forty  miles  long. 
Generally  speaking,  the  lower  portion  of  the  mountain  is  cul- 
tivated to  a  height  of  1,500  feet,  and  it  is  a  whole  province 
which  thus  climbs  round  her.  From  the  border  of  the 
farms  there  begins  a  rough  and  wild,  but  flowery  moorland, 
which  stretches  round  the  hill  to  an  elevation  of  4,000  feet, 
where  there  the  thick  forest  belt  commences.  This  girdles 
the  volcano  up  to  7,000  feet  on  the  Subashiri  side  and  8,000 
on  the  Murayama  fall,  but  is  lower  to  the  eastward.  Above 
the  forest  extends  a  narrow  zone  of  thicket  and  bush, 
chiefly  dwarfed  larch,  juniper,  and  avaccinium  •  after  which 
comes  the  bare,  burnt,  and  terribly  majestic  peak  itself, 
where  the  only  living  thing  is  a  little  yellow  lichen  which 


112  JAPAN 

grow  in  the  fissures  of  the  lava  blocks,  for  no  eagle  or 
hawk  ventures  so  high,  and  the  boldest  or  most  bewildered 
butterfly  will  not  be  seen  above  the  bushes  half-way  down. 

The  best — indeed,  the  only — time  for  the  ascent  of  the 
mountain  is  between  July  ifth  and  September  5th.  During 
this  brief  season,  the  snow  will  be  melted  from  the  cone, 
the  huts  upon  the  path  will  be  opened  for  pilgrims,  and 
there  will  be  only  the  danger  of  getting  caught  by  a  ty- 
phoon, or  reaching  the  summit  to  find  it  swathed  day  after 
day  in  clouds  and  no  view  obtainable.  Our  party  of  three 
started  for  the  ascent  on  August  25th,  taking  that  one  of 
the  many  roads  by  which  Fuji  is  approached  that  goes  by 
Subashiri.  Such  an  expedition  may  be  divided  into  a  series 
of  stages.  You  have  first  to  approach  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  by  train  or  otherwise,  then  to  ride  through  the 
long  slope  of  cultivated  region.  Then,  abandoning  horse 
or  vehicles,  to  traverse  on  foot  the  sharper  slopes  of  the 
forest  belt.  At  the  confines  of  this  you  will  reach  the  first 
station,  called  Sho  or  Go ;  for  Japanese  fancy  has  likened 
the  mountain  to  a  heap  of  dry  rice  and  the  stations  are 
named  by  rice  measures.  From  the  first  station  to  the 
ninth,  whatever  road  you  take,  all  will  be  hard,  hot,  con- 
tinuous climbing.  You  must  go  by  narrow,  bad  paths, 
such  as  a  goat  might  make,  in  loose  volcanic  dust,  gritty 
pumice,  or  over  the  sharp  edges  of  lava  dykes,  which  cut 
boots  and  sandals  to  shreds. 

Taking  train  from  Tokio  to  Gotemba,  a  station  at  the 
mountain's  foot,  we  engaged  "  two  men  rikisba  "  to  Suba- 


FUJI-SAN  113 

shiri  ;  rolling  along  a  rough  but  pretty  country  road,  lined 
with  pine  and  bamboo,  and  rice-fields  where  the  early  crop 
was  already  in  ear.  Silk  is  a  great  product  of  the  region, 
and  piles  of  cocoons  lay  in  the  sunshine,  while  the  winding 
reel  everywhere  buzzed  inside  the  cottages.  From  time  to 
time  Fuji  would  reveal  portions  of  her  mighty  outline,  but 
she  was  mainly  shrouded  till  we  reached  Subashiri,  and  put 
up  at  a  native  inn  called  Tone-Tana.  It  is  the  custom  with 
pilgrims  to  present  the  flags  of  their  sect  which  they  bring 
to  the  innkeepers,  who  suspend  them  on  strings,  the  conse- 
quence being  that  the  little  town  fluttered  with  pennons  of 
all  colours  from  end  to  end  of  the  long  street,  terminating 
and  overhanging  which  you  saw  Fuji-San — gigantic,  beau- 
tiful, terrible — clearly  and  cloudlessly  shown  from  head  to 
foot,  promising  us  a  good  reward  for  our  climb  of  the  mor- 
row. In  the  inn  at  night  all  the  talk  is  about  the  volcano, 
the  state  of  the  path,  the  chances  of  fine  weather,  and  so 
forth.  We  order  three  horses  and  six  ninsoku,  or  "  leg- 
men," to  carry  the  indispensable  blankets  and  provisions. 
They  are  to  be  ready  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
we  turn  in  early  to  get  as  much  sleep  as  possible. 

At  daybreak  the  horses  are  brought,  and  the  six  coolies, 
two  by  two,  bind  upon  their  backs  the  futons  and  the  food. 
We  start,  a  long  procession,  through  a  broad  avenue  in  the 
forest,  riding  for  five  miles,  under  a  lovely  dawn,  the  sun 
shining  gloriously  on  the  forehead  of  Fuji,  who  seems  fur- 
ther off  and  more  immensely  lofty  the  nearer  we  approach. 
The  woodland  is  full  of  wild  strawberries  and  flowers  j  in- 


U4  JAPAN 

eluding  tiger-lilies,  clematis,  Canterbury  bells,  and  the  blue 
hotari-no  bana^  or  fire-fly  blossom.  At  6:30  A.  M.,  we  reach 
Uma-Gayeshi,  or  "  turn-the-horses-back  " ;  and  hence  to  the 
mountain  top  there  is  nothing  for  it  but  to  walk  every  step 
of  the  long,  steep,  and  difficult  path.  Two  of  the  men 
with  the  lightest  loads  lead  the  way  along  the  narrow  path, 
in  a  wood  so  thick  that  we  shall  not  see  Fuji  again  till  we 
have  passed  through  it.  It  takes  us  every  now  and  then 
through  the  gates  and  precincts  of  little  Shinto  temples, 
where  the  priests  offer  us  tea  or  mountain  water.  In  one 
of  them,  at  Ko-mitake,  we  are  invited  to  ring  the  brass 
gong  in  order  that  the  Deity  may  make  our  limbs  strong 
for  the  task  before  us.  And  this  is  solemnly  done  by  all 
hands,  the  ninsoku  slapping  their  brown  thighs  piously  after 
sounding  the  bell. 

Presently  the  forest  clears  away ;  we  are  in  sunlight 
again,  well  upon  the  lower  slopes  of  Fuji ;  but  the  opening 
is  due  to  an  awful  phenomenon.  In  the  early  part  of  the 
year  an  avalanche  had  descended  down  the  valley  which 
we  are  climbing.  In  a  single  night  Fuji  will  often  collect 
millions  of  tons  of  snow  upon  her  cone,  and  then  will  let 
it  slip  next  day,  as  a  lady  puts  off  her  bonnet  de  nuit.  One 
of  these  great  snow  slides  has  rolled  down  our  valley  and 
crushed  perfectly  flat  every  shrub  and  sapling  and  tree  on  a 
track  half  a  mile  wide  right  through  the  forest.  The 
stoutest  pines  and  beeches,  the  sturdiest  larches  and  oaks, 
are  broken  short  off  at  the  root  and  pressed  close  to  the 
earth,  just  as  when  a  heavy  roller  goes  over  long  grass. 


/  FUJI-SAN  115 

One  look  at  this  is  enough  to  explain  why  it  is  not  prudent 
to  ascend  Fuji  when  the  snow  lies  upon  her  sides. 

Up  those  sides  we  must  now  steadily  trudge  by  a  path 
which  begins  unpromisingly  enough,  and  grows  constantly 
ruder  and  harder.  It  is  not  so  bad  among  the  dwarf  alder 
bushes,  where  grows  the  curious  and  very  rare  glabra, 
called  by  the  Japanese  O  Niku^  the  root  of  which  is  sov- 
ereign for  wounds  and  bruises.  But  it  is  quite  bad  enough 
long  before  we  reach  Shi-go-me,  at  9:30  A.  M.,  where  we 
are  to  breakfast.  This  is  Station  No.  4,  a  rude  hut  built 
of  black  and  red  lava  blocks,  and  standing  at  an  elevation 
of  8,420  feet.  You  will  see  how  we  have  been  ascending. 
The  stage  on  horseback  from  Subashiri  lifted  us  2,000  feet ; 
to  the  temple  with  the  bell  we  made  another  2,000  feet  of 
altitude ;  and  now,  at  Shi-go-me,  we  are  2,000  feet  higher 
still.  A  vast  stratum  of  clouds  hides  at  present  the  lower 
world  ;  but  it  breaks  away  in  places  to  let  us  see  and  ad- 
mire a  lovely  lake  shaped  like  the  new  moon,  and  called 
Mikazuki,  shining  in  the  hills  near  Yoshida.  It  is  already 
welcome  enough  to  halt  and  shake  the  sharp  ashes  from 
our  boots,  while  we  drink  Liebig  essence  in  hot  water  and 
eat  tinned  meats  with  an  appetite  sharpened  by  the  already 
keen  air.  But  we  have  a  great  height  yet  to  climb  to  No. 
6  Station,  where  we  shall  lunch,  and  the  path  henceforward 
is  of  two  kinds — both  abominable.  Either  you  zigzag  to 
and  fro  in  the  loose  black  and  red  ashes,  too  steep  and  slip- 
pery to  climb  directly  ;  or  you  pick  your  way  over  the 
rugged  slag  and  clinkers  of  a  lava  dyke,  which  is  like  as- 


ii6  JAPAN 

cending  a  shattered  flight  of  steps  or  climbing  the  face  of  a 
furnace  brnk.  Every  fifteen  minutes  one  or  other  of  the 
strong  mountaineers  accompanying  us  cries  out,  "  O  ya- 
sumi !  "  and  we  all  sink  gladly  on  the  nearest  block,  breath- 
ing quick  and  hard,  the  air  being  now  so  rarefied  that  it 
seems  impossible  to  get  enough  into  the  lungs. 

After  each  rest,  of  a  minute  or  two,  we  plod  on  towards 
the  little  black  lava  hut  marked  by  fluttering  red  and  white 
flags,  which  is  our  next  goal ;  and  truly  very  far  off,  and 
very  high  up,  and  very  hard  to  reach  each  in  turn  seems  to 
be.  Yet  one  by  one,  keeping  steadily  at  work,  we  attain 
to  stations  "  four  and  a  half,"  "  five,"  "  five  and  a  half" 
(Gogo,  go,  Shaku),  and  then  at  last  to  No.  6  (Roku-go-Me), 
where  we  stand  10,000  feet  above  the  sea.  A  halt  is  called 
in  the  little  hut  for  "  tiffin  "  and  pipes,  and  we  are  joined 
by  a  party  of  pilgrims  dressed  all  in  white,  with  huge  white 
soup-plate  hats,  who,  like  ourselves,  are  glad  enough  of  a 
little  rest  and  a  whiff"  or  two  of  the  kiseru.  Presently  we 
start  again  up  this  tremendous  cone,  which  seems  to  soar 
higher  and  higher  in  the  blue  the  harder  we  toil  to  conquer 
it.  Nevertheless,  early  in  the  afternoon  we  do  reach  Sta- 
tion No.  8,  where  we  shall  pass  the  nigbt,  more  than  n,- 
ooo  feet  above  sea  level.  Not  only  is  the  air  ;rery  rarefied, 
but  also  very  cold.  There  lies  a  large  patch  of  snow  in  a 
hollow  of  the  cone  close  by,  and  the  water  freezes  where 
it  drips  from  the  kitchen.  All  vegetation  has  vanished, 
even  the  polygonum,  and  we  are  glad  to  unpack  our 
blankets  and  lie  under  them  round  the  bibachi^  while  such 


FUJI-SAN  117 

a  meal  as  the  mountain  hut  can  furnish  is  being  prepared. 
It  consists  of  little  else  than  small  salted  fish  fried  upon 
rice,  but  we  supplement  it  with  tinned  provisions,  and  wash 
it  down  with  weak  whiskey  and  water.  To  realize  the 
sleep  which  ensues  after  pipes  and  Japanese  chat  you  must 
have  been  yourself  climbing  from  daybreak  till  four  in  the 
afternoon. 

The  shortest  time  in  which  the  ascent  has  been  made  is 
six  hours  and  a  half.  We,  taking  it  more  easily,  made  no 
attempt  to  beat  the  record,  and  stopped  frequently  to  bot- 
anize, geologize,  etc.  The  rarefaction  of  the  air  gave  our 
Japanese  companion,  Takaji  San,  a  slight  headache,  which 
soon  passed  as  the  circulation  became  accustomed  to  the 
atmosphere;  but  Captain  Ingles  and  I,  being  I  suppose, 
both  in  excellent  health  and  strength,  experienced  no  in- 
convenience worth  mentioning. 

At  half-past  four  next  morning,  while  I  was  dreaming 
under  my  thick  coverings,  a  hand  touched  me  and  a  voice 
said  softly  :  "  Danna  Sama,  hi  no  de  !  "  "  Master,  here  is 
the  sun !  "  The  shoji  at  my  feet  were  thrown  open.  I 
looked  out,  almost  as  you  might  from  the  moon,  over  a 
prodigious  abyss  of  space,  beyond  which  the  eastern  rim  of 
all  the  world  seemed  to  be  on  fire  with  flaming  light.  A 
belt  of  splendid  rose  and  gold  illumined  all  the  horizon, 
darting  long  spears  of  glory  into  the  dark  sky  overhead, 
gilding  the  tops  of  a  thousand  hills,  scattered  over  the  pur- 
ple plains  below,  and  casting  on  the  unbroken  background 
of  clouds  beyond  an  enormous  shadow  of  Fuji.  The  spec- 


ii8  JAPAN 

tacle  was  of  unparalleled  splendour,  recalling  Lord  Tenny- 
son's line  — 

"  And,  in  the  East, 
God  made  himself  an  awful  Rose  of  Dawn." 

Moment  by  moment  it  grew  more  wonderful  in  loveliness 
of  colour  and  brilliant  birth  of  day ;  and  then,  suddenly, 
just  when  the  sun  rolled  into  sight — an  orb  of  gleaming 
gold,  flooding  the  world  beneath  with  almost  insufferable 
radiance — a  vast  mass  of  dense  white  clouds  swept  before 
the  north  wind  over  the  view,  completely  blotting  out  the 
sun,  the  belt  of  rose  and  gold,  the  lighted  mountains  and 
plains,  and  the  lower  regions  of  Fuji-San.  It  was  day 
again,  but  misty,  white,  and  doubtful ;  and  when  we  started 
to  climb  the  last  two  stages  of  the  cone  the  flags  of  the 
stations  were  invisible,  and  we  could  not  know  whether  we 
should  find  the  summit  clear,  or  wrapped  in  enveloping 
clouds. 

All  was  to  be  fortunate,  however,  on  this  happy  day  ; 
and  after  a  hard  clambering  of  the  remaining  2,000  feet  we 
planted  our  staffs  victoriously  on  the  level  ground  of  the 
crater's  lip  and  gazed  north,  south,  east  and  west  through 
clear  and  cloudless  atmosphere  over  a  prodigious  prospect, 
whose  diameter  could  not  be  less  than  300  miles.  It  was 
one  of  the  few  days  when  O-ana-mochi,  the  Lord  of  the 
Great  Hole,  was  wholly  propitious  !  Behind  the  long  row 
of  little  black  huts  standing  on  the  edge  of  the  mountain, 
gaped  that  awful,  deadly  Cup  of  the  Volcano — an  immense 
pit  half  a  mile  wide  and  six  or  seven  hundred  feet  deep,  its 


FUJI-SAN  119 

sides  black,  yellow,  red,  white  and  grey,  with  the  varying 
hues  of  the  lava  and  scoria.  In  one  spot  where  a 
perpetual  shadow  lay,  from  the  ridge-peaks  of  Ken-ga-mine 
and  the  Shaka-no-wari-ishi,  or  "  Cleft  Rock  of  Buddha," 
gleamed  a  large  patch  of  unmelted  snow,  and  there  was 
dust-covered  snow  at  the  bottom  of  the  crater.  We 
skirted  part  of  the  crater,  passed  by  the  dangerous  path 
which  is  styled  "  Oya-shirazu,  Ko-shirazu,"  "  The  place 
where  you  must  forget  parents  and  children  to  take  care  of 
yourself;  "  we  saw  the  issue  of  the  Kim-mei-sai  or"  Golden 
famous  water,"  and  of  the  Gim-mei-sai,  or  "Silver 
famous  water";  and  came  back  to  breakfast  at  our  hut 
silent  with  the  delight  and  glory,  the  beauty  and  terror  of 
the  scene.  Enormous  flocks  of  fleecy  clouds  and  cloudlets 
wandered  in  the  lower  air,  many  thousand  feet  beneath, 
but  nowhere  concealed  the  lakes,  peaks,  rivers,  towns, 
villages,  valleys,  seacoasts,  islands,  and  distant  provinces 
spreading  out  all  round.  Imagine  the  prospect  obtainable 
at  13,000  feet  of  elevation  through  the  silvery  air  of  Japan 
on  a  summer's  morning  with  not  a  cloud,  except  shifting, 
thin,  and  transitory  ones,  to  veil  the  view !  At  the 
temple  with  the  bell  we  were  duly  stamped — shirts,  sticks, 
and  clothing — with  the  sacred  mark  of  the  mountain,  and 
having  made  the  hearts  of  our  faithful  and  patient 
ninsoku  glad  with  extra  pay,  turned  our  backs  on  the  great 
extinct  volcano,  whose  crest,  glowing  again  in  the  morning 
sunlight,  had  no  longer  any  secrets  for  Captain  Ingles,  or 
Takaji  San,  or  myself. 


THE  TEMPLES  OF  NIKKO 

PIERRE  LOTI 

"  He  who  has  not  beheld  Nikko,  has  no  right  to  make  use  of  the  word 
splendour." — Japanese  Proverb. 

IN  the  heart  of  the  large  island  of  Nippon  and  in  a 
mountainous  and  wooded  region,  fifty  leagues  from 
Yokohama,  is  hidden  that  marvel  of  marvels — the 
necropolis  of  the  Japanese  Emperors. 

There,  on  the  declivity  of  the  Holy  Mountain  of  Nikko, 
under  cover  of  a  dense  forest  and  in  the  midst  of  cascades 
whose  roar  among  the  shadows  of  the  cedars  never  ceases, 
is  a  series  of  enchanting  temples,  made  of  bronze  and 
lacquer  with  roofs  of  gold  which  look  as  if  a  magic  ring 
must  have  called  them  into  existence  among  the  ferns  and 
mosses,  in  the  green  dampness,  over-arched  by  dark 
branches  and  surrounded  by  the  wildness  and  grandeur  of 
Nature. 

Within  these  temples  there  is  an  inconceivable  magnifi- 
cence, a  fairy-like  splendour.  Nobody  is  about,  except  a 
few  guardian  bonzes  who  chant  hymns,  and  several  white- 
robed  priestesses,  who  perform  the  sacred  dances  whilst 
waving  their  fans.  Every  now  and  then  in  the  deep  and 
echoing  forest  are  heard  the  slow  vibrations  of  an  enormous 
bronze  gong,  or  the  dull,  heavy  blows  on  a  monstrous 

120 


'*'#>> 
;•••»/& 


THE  TEMPLES  OF  NIKKO         121 

prayer-drum.  At  other  times  there  are  certain  sounds 
which  really  seem  to  be  a  part  of  the  silence  and  solitude, 
the  chirp  of  the  grasshoppers,  the  cry  of  the  falcons  in  the 
air,  the  cry  of  the  monkeys  in  the  branches  and  the 
monotonous  fall  of  the  cascades. 

All  this  dazzling  gold  in  the  mystery  of  the  forest  makes 
these  sepulchres  unique.  This  is  the  Mecca  of  Japan ; 
this  is  the  heart,  as  yet  inviolate,  of  this  country  which  is 
now  gradually  sinking  in  the  great  Occidental  current,  but 
which  has  had  a  magnificent  Past.  Those  were  strange 
mystics  and  very  rare  artists  who,  three  or  four  hundred 
years  ago,  realized  all  this  magnificence  in  the  depths  of 
the  woods  and  for  their  dead. 

We  stop  before  the  first  temple.  It  stands  a  little  off  to 
itself  in  a  kind  of  glade.  You  approach  it  by  a  garden 
with  raised  terraces ;  a  garden  with  grottos,  fountains,  and 
dwarf-trees  with  violet,  yellow,  or  reddish  foliage. 

The  vast  temple  is  entirely  red,  and  blood-red ;  an 
enormous  black  and  gold  roof,  turned  up  at  the  corners, 
seems  to  crush  it  with  its  weight.  From  it  comes  a  kind 
of  religious  music,  soft  and  slow,  interrupted  from  time  to 
time  by  a  heavy  and  horrible  blow. 

It  is  wide  open,  open  so  that  its  entire  facade  with 
columns  is  visible ;  but  the  interior  is  hidden  by  an  im- 
mense white  velum.  The  velum  is  of  silk,  only  ornamented 
in  its  entire  white  length  by  three  or  four  large  black  heraldic 
roses,  which  are  very  simple,  but  I  cannot  describe  their 
exquisite  distinction,  and  behind  this  first  and  half-lifted 


122  JAPAN 

hanging,  the  light  bamboo  blinds  are  let  down  to  the 
ground. 

We  walk  up  several  granite  steps,  and,  to  permit  my 
entrance,  my  guide  pushes  aside  a  corner  of  the  Veil :  the 
sanctuary  appears. 

Within  everything  is  in  black  lacquer  and  gold  lacquer, 
with  the  gold  predominating.  Above  the  complicated 
cornice  and  golden  frieze  there  springs  a  ceiling  in 
compartments,  in  worked  lacquer  of  black  and  gold.  Be- 
hind the  colonnade  at  the  back,  the  remote  part,  where, 
doubtless,  the  gods  are  kept,  is  hidden  by  long  curtains 
of  black  and  gold  brocade,  hanging  in  stiff  folds  from 
the  ceiling  to  the  floor.  On  the  floor  and  upon  white 
mats  large  golden  vases  are  standing  filled  with  great 
bunches  of  golden  lotuses  as  tall  as  trees.  And  finally 
from  the  ceiling,  like  the  bodies  of  large  dead  serpents  or 
monstrous  boas,  hang  a  quantity  of  astonishing  caterpillars 
of  silk,  as  large  as  a  human  arm,  blue,  yellow,  orange, 
brownish-red,  and  black,  or  strangely  variegated  like  the 
throats  of  certain  birds  of  those  islands. 

Some  bonzes  are  singing  in  one  corner,  seated  in  a  circle 
around  a  prayer-drum,  large  enough  to  hold  them  all. 

And  we  go  out  by  the  back  door,  which  leads  into  the 
most  curious  garden  in  the  world  :  it  is  a  square  filled  with 
shadows  shut  in  by  the  forest  cedars  and  high  walls,  which 
are  red  like  the  sanctuary ;  in  the  centre  rises  a  very  large 
bronze  obelisk  flanked  with  four  little  ones,  and  crowned 
with  a  pyramid  of  golden  leaves  and  golden  bells ; — you 


THE  TEMPLES  OF  NIKKO         123 

would  say  that  in  this  country  bronze  and  gold  cost  noth- 
ing;  they  are  used  in  such  profusion,  everywhere,  just  as 
we  use  the  mean  materials  of  stone  and  plaster.  All  along 
this  blood-red  wall  which  forms  the  back  of  the  temple,  in 
order  to  animate  this  melancholy  garden,  at  about  the 
height  of  a  man  there  is  a  level  row  of  little  wooden  gods, 
of  all  forms  and  colours,  which  are  gazing  at  the  obelisk, 
some  blue,  others  yellow,  others  green ;  some  have  the 
shape  of  a  man,  others  of  an  elephant  :  a  company  of 
dwarfs,  extraordinarily  comical,  but  which  produce  no 
merriment. 

In  order  to  reach  the  other  temples,  we  again  walk 
through  the  damp  and  shadowy  woods  along  the  avenues 
of  cedars  which  ascend  and  descend  and  intersect  in  vari- 
ous ways,  and  really  constitute  the  streets  of  this  city  of 
the  dead. 

We  walk  on  pathways  of  fine  sand  strewn  with  these 
little  brown  needles  which  drop  from  the  cedars.  Always 
in  terraces,  they  are  bordered  with  balustrades  and  pillars 
of  granite  covered  with  the  most  delicious  moss ;  you 
would  say  all  the  hand-rails  have  been  garnished  with  a 
beautiful  green  velvet,  and  at  each  side  of  the  sanded  path- 
way invariably  flow  little  fresh  and  limpid  brooks  which 
join  their  crystal  notes  to  those  of  the  distant  torrents  and 
cascades. 

At  a  height  of  100,  or  200  metres,  we  arrive  at  the  en 
trance  of  something  which  seems  to  indicate  magnificence: 
above  us  on  the  mountain  in  the  medley  of  branches,  the 


124  JAPAN 

walls  taper  upward  while  roofs  of  lacquer  and  bronze  with 
their  population  of  monsters  are  perched  everywhere, 
shining  with  gold. 

Before  this  entrance  there  is  a  kind  of  open  square,  a 
narrow  glade  where  a  little  sunlight  falls.  And  here  in  its 
luminous  rays  two  bonzes  in  ceremonial  costume  pass 
across  the  dark  background  :  one,  in  a  long  robe  of  violet 
silk,  with  a  surplice  of  orange  silk ;  the  other  in  a  robe  of 
pearl-grey  with  a  sky-blue  surplice  ;  both  wear  a  high  and 
rigid  head-dress  of  black  lacquer,  which  is  seldom  worn 
now.  (These  were  the  only  human  beings  whom  we  met 
on  the  way,  during  our  pilgrimage.)  They  are  probably 
going  to  perform  some  religious  office,  and,  passing  before 
the  sumptuous  entrance,  they  make  profound  bows. 

This  temple  before  which  we  are  now  standing,  is  that 
of  the  deified  soul  of  the  Emperor  lyeyasu  (Sixteenth 
Century),  and,  perhaps,  the  most  marvellous  of  all  the 
buildings  of  Nikko. 

You  ascend  by  a  series  of  doors  and  enclosures  which 
become  more  and  more  beautiful  as  you  get  higher  and 
nearer  the  sanctuary,  where  the  soul  of  this  dead  Emperor 
dwells. 

At  the  door  of  the  Palace  of  the  Splendour  of  the 
Orient  we  stop  to  take  off  our  shoes  according  to  custom. 
Gold  is  everywhere,  resplendent  gold. 

An  indescribable  ornamentation  has  been  chosen  for  this 
threshold ;  on  the  enormous  posts  are  a  kind  of  wavy 
clouds,  or  ocean-billows,  in  the  centre  of  which  here  and 


THE  TEMPLES  OF  NIKKO         125 

there  appear  the  tentacles  of  medusae,  the  ends  of  paws,  the 
claws  of  crabs, — the  ends  of  long  caterpillars,  flat  and 
scaly ;  all  kinds  of  horrible  fragments,  imitated  in  colossal 
size  with  a  striking  fidelity,  and  making  you  think  that  the 
beasts  to  which  they  belong  must  be  hidden  there  within 
the  walls  ready  to  enfold  you  and  tear  your  flesh.  This 
splendour  has  mysteriously  hostile  undercurrents ;  we  feel 
that  it  has  many  a  surprise  and  menace.  Above  our  heads 
the  lintels  are,  however,  ornamented  with  large,  exquisite 
flowers  in  bronze,  or  gold  :  roses,  peonies,  wistaria,  and 
spring  branches  of  full-blown  cherry-blossoms ;  but,  still 
higher,  horrible  faces  with  fixed  death's-head  grimaces  lean 
towards  us ;  terrible  things  of  all  shapes  hang  by  their 
golden  wings  from  the  golden  beams  of  the  roof;  we  per- 
ceive in  the  air  rows  of  mouths  split  open  with  atrocious 
laughter,  rows  of  eyes  half-closed  in  an  unquiet  sleep. 

An  old  priest,  aroused  by  the  noise  of  our  footsteps  on 
the  gravel  in  the  silence  of  the  court,  appears  before  us  on 
the  bronze  threshold.  In  order  to  examine  the  permit 
which  I  present  to  him,  he  puts  a  pair  of  round  spectacles 
on  his  nose,  which  make  him  look  like  an  owl. 

My  papers  are  in  order.  A  bow,  and  he  steps  aside  to 
let  me  enter. 

It  is  gloomy  inside  this  palace,  with  that  mysterious 
semi-twilight  which  the  Spirits  delight  in.  The  impressions 
felt  on  entering  are  grandeur  and  repose. 

The  walls  are  of  gold  and  the  vault  is  of  gold,  supported 
on  columns  of  gold.  A  vague,  trembling  light  illuminating 


126  JAPAN 

as  if  from  beneath  enters  through  the  very  much  grated  and 
very  low  windows  ;  the  dark  undetermined  depths  are  full 
of  the  gleamings  of  precious  things. 

Yellow  gold,  red  gold,  green  gold  ;  gold  that  is  vital,  or 
tarnished  ;  gold  that  is  brilliant,  or  lustreless ;  here  and  there 
on  the  friezes  and  on  the  exquisite  capitals  of  the  columns, 
a  little  vermilion,  a  little  emerald  green  ;  very  little,  noth- 
ing but  a  thin  thread  of  colour,  just  enough  to  relieve  the 
wing  of  a  bird,  and  the  petal  of  a  lotus,  a  peony,  or  a  rose. 
Despite  so  much  richness  nothing  is  overcharged  ;  such 
taste  has  been  displayed  in  the  arrangement  of  the  thou- 
sands of  diverse  forms  and  such  harmony  in  the  extremely 
complicated  designs  that  the  effect  of  the  whole  is  simple 
and  reposeful. 

Neither  human  figures  nor  idols  have  a  part  in  this  sanc- 
tuary of  Shintoism.  Nothing  stands  upon  the  altars  but 
large  vases  of  gold  filled  with  natural  flowers  in  sheaves,  or 
gigantic  flowers  of  gold. 

No  idols,  but  a  multitude  of  beasts  flying  or  crawling,  fa- 
miliar or  chimaerical,  pursue  each  other  upon  the  walls,  and 
fly  away  from  the  friezes  and  arches,  in  all  attitudes 
of  fury  and  struggle  of  terror  and  flight.  Here,  a  flight  of 
swans  hurries  away  in  swift  flight  the  whole  length  of  the 
golden  cornice  ;  in  other  places  are  butterflies  with  tortoises ; 
large  and  hideous  insects  among  the  flowers,  or  many  death- 
combats  between  fantastic  beasts  of  the  sea,  medusae  with 
big  eyes,  and  imaginary  fishes.  On  the  ceilings  innumera- 
ble dragons  bristle  and  coil.  The  windows,  cut  out  in  mul- 


THE  TEMPLES  OF  NIKKO         127 

tiple  trefoils,  in  a  form  never  before  seen,  and  which  give 
little  light,  seem  only  a  pretext  for  displaying  all  kinds  of 
marvellous  piercings  :  trellises  of  gold  entwined  with  golden 
leaves  among  which  golden  birds  are  sporting ;  all  of  this 
seems  accumulated  at  pleasure  and  permits  the  least  possi- 
ble light  to  enter  into  the  deep  golden  shadows  of  the  tem- 
ple. The  only  really  simple  objects  are  the  columns  of  a 
fine  golden  lacquer  ending  with  capitals  of  a  very  sober 
design,  forming  a  slight  calix  of  the  lotus,  like  those  of  cer- 
tain ancient  Egyptian  palaces. 

We  could  spend  days  in  admiring  separately  each  panel, 
each  pillar,  each  minute  detail  ;  the  least  little  piece  of  the 
vault,  or  the  walls  would  be  a  treasure  for  a  museum.  And 
so  many  rare  and  extravagant  objects  have  succeeded  in 
making  the  whole  a  composition  of  large  quiet  lines  ;  many 
living  forms,  many  distorted  bodies,  many  ruffled  wings,  stiff 
claws,  open  mouths,  and  squinting  eyes  have  succeeded  in 
producing  a  calm,  an  absolute  calm  by  force  of  an  inexpli- 
cable harmony,  twilight  and  silence. 

I  believe,  moreover,  that  here  is  the  quintessence  of  Jap- 
anese Art,  of  which  the  specimens  brought  to  our  collec- 
tions of  Europe  cannot  give  the  true  impression.  And  we 
are  struck  by  feeling  that  this  Art,  so  foreign  to  us,  pro- 
ceeds from  an  origin  so  different;  nothing  here  is  derived, 
ever  so  remotely,  from  what  we  call  antiquities — Greek, 
Latin,  or  Arabian — which  always  influence,  even  if  we  are 
not  aware  of  it,  our  native  ideas  regarding  ornamental  form. 
Here  the  least  design,  the  smallest  line, — everything  is  as 


128  JAPAN 

profoundly  strange  as  if  had  come  from  a  neighbouring  planet 
which  had  never  held  communication  with  our  side  of  the 
world. 

The  entire  back  of  the  temple,  where  it  is  almost  night, 
is  occupied  by  great  doors  of  black  lacquer  and  gold  lacquer, 
with  bolts  of  carved  gold,  shutting  in  a  very  sacred  place 
which  they  refuse  to  show  me.  They  tell  me,  moreover, 
that  there  is  nothing  in  these  closets ;  but  that  they  are  the 
places  where  the  deified  souls  of  the  heroes  love  to  dwell ; 
the  priests  only  open  them  on  certain  occasions  to  place  in 
them  poems  in  their  honour,  or  prayers  wisely  written  on 
rice-paper. 

The  two  lateral  wings  on  each  side  of  the  large  golden 
sanctuary  are  entirely  of  marquetry,  in  prodigious  designs 
composed  of  the  most  precious  mosaics  left  in  their  natural 
colour.  The  representations  are  animals  and  plants:  on 
the  walls  light  leaves  in  relief,  bamboo,  grasses  of  extreme 
delicacy,  gold  convolvulus  falling  in  clusters  of  flowers, 
birds  of  resplendent  plumage,  peacocks  and  pheasants  with 
spread  tails.  There  is  no  painting  here,  no  gold-work  ;  the 
whole  effect  is  sombre,  the  general  tone  that  of  dead  wood  ; 
but  each  leaf  of  each  branch  is  composed  of  a  different 
piece ;  and  also  each  feather  of  each  bird  is  shaded  in  such 
a  way  as  almost  to  produce  the  effect  of  changing  colours 
on  the  throats  and  wings. 

And  at  last,  at  last,  behind  all  this  magnificence,  the 
most  sacred  place  which  they  show  me  last,  the  most 
strange  of  all  strange  places,  is  the  little  mortuary  court 


THE  TEMPLES  OF  NIKKO         129 

which  surrounds  the  tomb.  It  is  hollowed  out  of  a  moun- 
tain between  whose  rocky  walls  water  is  dripping :  the 
lichens  and  moss  have  made  a  damp  carpet  here  and  the 
tall  surrounding  cedars  throw  their  dark  shadows  over  it. 
There  is  an  enclosure  of  bronze,  shut  by  a  bronze  door 
which  is  inscribed  across  its  centre  with  an  inscription  in 
gold, — not  in  the  Japanese  language,  but  in  Sanscrit  to  give 
more  mystery ;  a  massive,  lugubrious,  inexorable  door,  ex- 
traordinary beyond  all  expression  and  which  is  the  ideal 
door  for  a  sepulchre.  In  the  centre  of  this  enclosure  is  a 
kind  of  round  turret  also  in  bronze  having  the  form  of  a 
pagoda-bell,  of  a  kneeling  beast,  of  I  don't  know  what  un- 
known and  disturbing  thing  and  surmounted  by  a  great 
astonishing  heraldic  flower  :  here,  under  this  singular  object 
rests  the  body  of  the  little  yellow  bonhomme,  once  the  Em- 
peror lyeyasu,  for  whom  all  this  pomp  has  been  displayed. 

A  little  breeze  agitates  the  branches  of  the  cedars  this 
morning  and  there  falls  a  shower  of  these  little  dry  brown 
needles,  a  little  brown  rain  on  the  greyish  lichens,  on  the 
green  velvet  moss  and  upon  the  sinister  bronze  objects. 
The  voice  of  the  cascades  is  heard  in  the  distance  like 
perpetual  sacred  music.  An  impression  of  nothingness 
and  supreme  peace  reigns  in  this  final  court  to  which  so 
much  splendour  leads. 

In  another  quarter  of  the  forest  the  temple  of  the  deified 
soul  of  lyemitsu  is  of  an  almost  equal  magnificence.  It 
is  approached  by  a  similar  series  of  steps  of  little  carved 
and  gilded  light-towers,  doors  of  bronze  and  enclosures  of 


130  JAPAN 

lacquer ;  but  the  plan  of  the  whole  is  a  little  less  regular, 
because  the  mountain  is  more  broken. 

A  solemn  hour  on  the  Holy  Mountain  is  at  night-fall, 
when  they  close  the  temples.  It  is  even  more  lugubri- 
ous at  this  autumnal  season,  when  the  twilight  brings  sad 
thoughts.  With  heavy  rumblings  which  linger  long  in  the 
sonorous  forest,  the  great  panels  of  lacquer  and  bronze  are 
rolled  on  their  grooves  and  shut  in  the  magnificent  build- 
ings which  have  been  open  all  day  although  visited  by 
nobody.  A  cold  and  damp  shiver  passes  through  the  black 
forest.  For  fear  of  fire  which  might  consume  these  mar- 
vels, not  a  single  light  is  allowed  in  this  village  of  Spirits, 
where  certainly  darkness  falls  sooner  and  remains  longer 
than  anywhere  else ;  no  lamp  has  ever  shone  upon  these 
treasures,  which,  for  many  centuries  have  thus  slept  in 
darkness  in  the  very  heart  of  Japan;  and  the  cascades  in- 
crease their  music  while  the  silence  of  night  enshrouds  the 
forest  so  rich  in  enchantment. 


THE  IS&  SHRINES 

ISABELLA  BIRD   BISHOP 

THESE  temples  of  Ise,  the  Geku  and  the  Naiku, 
called  by  the  Japanese  by  a  name  which  literally 
means  "  the  two  great  divine  palaces,"  rank  first 
among  Shinto  shrines  in  point  of  sanctity,  and  are  to 
Shintoists,  even  in  the  irreligious  present,  something  of 
what  Mecca  is  to  Mussulmans,  and  the  Holy  Places 
of  Jerusalem  to  Greeks  and  Latins.  Tens  of  thousands 
of  pilgrims  still  resort  to  them  annually,  and  though  the 
pilgrimage  season  is  chiefly  in  the  spring  months,  there  is 
no  time  of  year  in  which  there  is  an  absolute  cessation  of 
visitors. 

The  two  groups  of  shrines  are  distant  about  three  and  a 
half  miles  from  each  other.  It  is  sufficient  to  describe  the 
Geku  shrine,  which  is  exactly  copied  from  the  Naiku. 
Both  stand  in  the  midst  of  ancient  cryptomeria,  each  stately 
tree  in  Shinto  fancy  worthy  to  be  a  god,  but  it  is  the  cam- 
phor groves,  the  finest  in  Japan,  covering  the  extensive 
and  broken  grounds  with  their  dark  magnificence,  which  so 
impress  a  stranger  with  their  unique  grandeur  as  to  make 
him  forget  the  bareness  and  meanness  of  the  shrines  which 
they  overshadow. 


132  JAPAN 

The  grand  entrance  is  reached  from  Yamada  by  crossing 
a  handsome  bridge,  which  leads  to  a  wide  space  enclosed 
by  banks  faced  with  stone.  On  the  right  is  a  building 
occupied  by  the  temple-attendants,  where  fragments  of  the 
wood  used  in  building  the  shrines,  packets  of  the  rice 
offered  to  the  gods  and  sundry  other  charms  are  offered  for 
sale.  Close  to  this  there  is  a  massive  Tori-i,  the  entrance  to 
the  temple-grounds,  which  are  of  great  extent,  and  contain 
hills,  ravines,  groves  and  streams.  Very  broad  and  finely- 
gravelled  roads,  with  granite  margins  and  standard  lamps  at 
intervals,  intersect  them,  and  their  Tori-t^  stone  bridges, 
stone  staircases,  and  stone-faced  embankments,  are  all  on  a 
grand  scale  and  in  perfect  repair.  On  the  left  hand, 
within  the  entrance,  there  are  some  plain  buildings,  one  of 
which  is  occupied  by  several  temple-attendants  in  white 
silk  vestments,  whose  business  it  is  to  sell  the  o-barai  to  all 
comers.  Heavy  curtains  with  the  Mikado's  crest  upon 
them  are  draped  over  the  entrances  to  this  and  the  building 
at  the  gate,  and  may  be  taken  as  indicating  that  Shinto  is 
under  "  State  "  patronage. 

Passing  through  stately  groves  by  a  stately  road  and 
under  a  second  massive  Tori-i,  the  visitor  reaches  the  famous 
Geku  shrine,  and  even  in  spite  of  Mr.  Satow's  realistic 
description,  is  stricken  with  a  feeling  of  disappointment,  for 
he  is  suddenly  brought  up  by  a  great  oblong  enclosure  of 
neatly  planed  wood,  the  upright  posts,  which  are  just  over 
nine  feet  high,  being  planted  at  distances  of  six  feet,  the 
intervals  being  completely  filled  up  with  closely-fitting  and 


THE  IS£  SHRINES  133 

very  heavy  planking  laid  horizontally.  The  only  orna- 
ments are  bamboo  receptacles  on  each  post,  containing 
sprigs  of  Cleyera  Japonica,  changed  occasionally.  This 
monotonous-looking  enclosure  rests  on  a  raised  platform 
of  broken  stone,  supported  on  a  rough  stone-faced  embank- 
ment about  three  feet  high.  One  corner  of  this  is  formed 
by  a  large,  irregularly  shaped  dark  stone,  worn  perfectly 
smooth  from  being  constantly  rubbed  by  the  hands  of  per- 
sons who  believe  that  by  rubbing  the  stone  first,  and  then 
any  painful  part  of  the  body,  the  pain  will  be  cured.  The 
front  of  this  extraordinary  enclosure  is  247  feet  long,  the 
rear  235  feet,  one  side  339  feet  and  the  other  335  feet.  It 
has  five  entrances,  the  principal  one  eighteen  feet  wide, 
facing  the  road,  being  formed  by  a  Tori-i.  At  a  distance  of 
twenty-four  feet  from  three  of  these  entrances  are  high 
wooden  screens,  and  a  similar  screen,  at  a  distance  of 
seventy-six  feet,  hides  the  main  entrance,  much  in  the 
same  way  that  the  great  brick  screens  in  Canton  conceal 
the  gateways  of  the  private  dwellings  of  the  mandarins. 
Within  the  entrance  Tori-i  there  is  a  wooden  gateway  with 
a  thatched  roof,  but  a  curtain  with  the  Mikado's  crest  con- 
ceals all  view  of  the  interior  court.  In  front  of  this  gate- 
way the  pilgrims  make  their  obeisances  and  throw  down 
their  rin  upon  a  white  cloth.  The  other  entrances  are 
closed  with  solid  gates.  There  is  no  admission  except  for 
the  specially  privileged,  but  a  good  view  into  the  enclosure 
is  gained  by  climbing  a  bank  upon  its  west  side. 

Within  the  thatched  gateway  there  is  a  pebbled  court,  on 


134  JAPAN 

the  right  of  which  is  a  long  narrow  shed,  one  of  three 
buildings  set  apart  for  the  entertainment  of  the  envoys  sent 
by  the  Mikado  after  the  annual  harvest  festival.  In  a 
straight  line  from  the  second  gateway  a  flagged  pavement, 
passing  under  a  Tori-i  at  a  distance  of  ninety-nine  feet, 
reaches  another  thatched  gateway,  through  which  there  is  a 
third  court,  formed  by  palisades  the  height  of  a  man,  placed 
close  together.  Another  thatched  gateway  gives  entrance 
to  the  last  enclosure,  an  area  nearly  square,  being  134  feet 
by  131,  surrounded  by  a  very  stout  palisade.  Within  this 
stands  the  shoden,  or  shrine  of  the  gods,  and  on  the  right 
and  left  two  treasuries.  The  impression  produced  by  the 
whole  resembles  that  made  upon  the  minds  of  those  who 
have  made  the  deepest  researches  into  Shinto — there  is 
nothing,  and  all  things,  even  the  stately  avenues  of  the 
Geku,  lead  to  nothing. 

In  the  north-west  corner  of  the  area  is  a  plain  building 
containing  the  gohei  wands,  with  dependent  pieces  of  paper, 
usually  worshipped  as  gods,  but  at  Ise  only  believed  to  have 
the  power  of  attracting  the  spirits  of  the  gods  to  the  spot, 
which  was  their  original  meaning.  In  the  north-east  cor- 
ner, within  a  special  enclosure,  there  is  another  plain  build- 
ing, in  which  the  water  and  food  offered  to  the  gods  of 
the  Geku  are  set  out.  The  daily  offerings  to  the  principal 
deity  consist  of  sixteen  saucers  of  rice,  four  saucers  of  salt, 
four  cups  of  water,  and  such  fish,  birds  and  vegetables  as 
may  be  contributed  by  the  surrounding  villages,  and  the 
three  secondary  deities  receive  one-half  each.  The  chief 


THE  ISE  SHRINES  135 

deity  of  the  Geku  is  "  The  Goddess  of  Food,"  and  of  the 
Naiku,  the  great  "  Sun  Goddess." 

Having  followed  Shinto  to  its  centre  at  Ise,  the  bare 
wooden  building,  which  is  the  kernel  of  the  Geku  en- 
closure and  the  Shinto  "  Holy  of  Holies,"  assumes  a  very 
special  interest,  but  here,  again,  there  is  nothing  but  disap- 
pointment, for  the  shoden  only  contains  four  boxes  of  un- 
painted  wood,  furnished  with  light  handles,  resting  on  low 
stands,  and  covered  with  what  is  said  to  be  white  silk.  In 
each  box  is  a  mirror  wrapped  in  a  brocade  bag,  which  is 
never  renewed,  only  re-covered.  Over  one  mirror  is  placed 
a  cage  of  unpainted  wood,  which  is  covered  with  a  curtain 
of  coarse  silk,  which  conceals  both  cage  and  box.  The 
three  other  boxes  stand  outside  this  cage,  but  are  also 
covered,  and  the  coverings  are  all  that  can  be  seen  when 
the  shrines  are  opened  on  festival  days.  It  is  in  these 
mirrors  that  the  spirits  of  the  gods  are  supposed  to  dwell. 
Much  ingenious  rubbish  has  been  devised  to  account  for 
the  presence  of  a  looking-glass  in  every  Shinto  temple  ; 
but  the  fact  is,  that  the  original  Ise  mirror,  of  which  all  the 
rest  are  copies,  merely  represents  the  great  Sun  Goddess, 
the  supposed  ancestress  of  the  Mikado,  and,  together  with 
the  sword,  which  constitute  the  Japanese  regalia,  found  a 
resting-place  at  Ise,  after  many  wanderings,  in  the  year 
4  B.  c. 

The  Geku  was  founded  in  the  year  478  A.  D.,  and  it  has 
been  customary  from  time  immemorial  to  rebuild  a  temple, 
alternately  on  either  site,  once  in  twenty  years. 


136  JAPAN 

The  Ise  shrines  were  unknown  to  Europeans  till  1872, 
when  the  Government  very  liberally  gave  Mr.  Satow  and 
a  small  party  of  foreigners  the  opportunity  of  visiting  them. 
They  are  now  open  to  passport  holders  under  certain  re- 
strictions, and  are  singularly  interesting  to  those  who  have 
made  either  an  original  or  second-hand  study  of  Shinto. 


THE  DAI-BUTSU  OF  NARA 

SIR  EDWARD  REED 

WE  had  decided  to  devote  the  whole  day  to  Nara, 
returning  the  following  day,  but  nevertheless 
there  was  no  time  to  lose  ;  therefore  breakfast 
over,  we  started  on  our  tour  of  the  temples,  guided  by  ex- 
perienced officers,  and  attended  by  a  pleasant  set  of  Japa- 
nese companions  and  interpreters.     Besides  a  few  European 
coats  upon  some  of  our  conductors,  there  was  nothing  to 
break  in  upon  the  aspect  which  this  part  of  the  old  city  had 
worn  for  more  than  a  thousand  years. 

On  leaving  the  grounds  of  our  temporary  residence,  we 
stepped  at  once  into  the  shadow  of  that  huge  structure  the 
great  gate  of  the  Temple  of  Dai-butsu — an  immense  and 
imposing  pile,  containing  two  colossal  carved  gate-keepers 
or  kings,  of  very  forbidding  aspect  and  attitude,  but  who 
were  less  hideous  than  others  of  the  kind.  This  great 
gateway  was  on  our  left ;  on  our  right,  at  a  distance  of 
three  to  four  hundred  yards,  was  another  gateway  to  the 
great  temple,  the  broad  road  between  the  two  gateways 
having  wide  grassy  spaces  on  either  side,  from  which  spring 
many  ancient  and  lofty  old  trees.  The  space  between  the 
two  gates  is  therefore  a  broad  and  beautiful  promenade  for 
the  greater  part  of  the  year.  Our  first  visit  was  to  the 

137 


138  JAPAN 

famous  temple  of  the  great  Buddha.  As  usual  in  ap- 
proaches to  Japanese  temples,  there  are  several  shops  near 
to  the  temple  itself.  In  the  centre  of  the  large  open  space 
between  the  lesser  gateway  and  the  temple  is  an  immense 
and  very  old  bronze  lantern,  large  enough  for  a  man  to 
stand  in.  This  lantern  was  presented  to  the  temple  by  the 
renowned  hero  and  statesman  Yoritomo,  who  died  in  the 
year  1199,  and  is  seven  hundred  years  old.  It  is  in  daily 
use  still.  This  temple  was  originally  founded  and  the  im- 
mense image  made  by  the  Mikado  Shomu,  the  forty-sixth 
of  the  present  line  of  emperors,  and  the  third  of  Nara  who 
died  748  A.  D.  This  temple  was  destroyed  seven  hundred 
years  ago  in  the  terrible  civil  wars  of  the  Twelfth  Century, 
and  again  seriously  injured,  so  that  the  head  of  the  god  had 
to  be  recast  in  the  Seventeenth  Century.  The  great  gate- 
way, however,  with  most  of  the  other  buildings  of  this  great 
temple,  has  escaped  such  injuries,  and  although  con- 
structed of  wood  have  stood  as  they  now  stand  for  more 
than  eleven  centuries. 

The  interest  of  this  place  centres,  of  course,  in  the  great 
god  of  bronze  and  gold,  who  (subject  to  the  mischances  just 
mentioned)  has  been  the  wonder  of  Japan  for  so  many  ages 
past.  It  has  been  positively  stated  by  some  that  a  consid- 
erable amount  of  gold  entered  into  his  composition,  but  those 
on  the  spot  seem  to  be  uncertain  as  to  whether  the  gold  em- 
ployed in  making  him  was  mixed  with  the  bronze  of  which 
he  is  cast,  or  applied  superficially  to  him. 

The    dimensions    of   this  god   are  truly  colossal.      His 


THE  DAI-BUTSU  OF  NARA         139 

height  from  the  base  of  the  sacred  lotus-flower  on  which 
he  sits  to  the  top  of  his  head  is  sixty-three  and  a  half  feet, 
and  above  this  rises  a  halo  fourteen  feet  wide,  above  which 
again  rises  for  several  feet  the  flame-like  glory  which  arches 
in  the  whole  figure.  The  face  proper  is  sixteen  feet  long, 
its  width  nine  and  a  half  feet.  The  eyes  are  three  feet  nine 
inches  long,  the  eyebrows  five  and  a  half  feet,  the  ears 
eight  and  a  half  feet.  The  chest  is  twenty  feet  in  depth. 
Its  middle  finger  is  five  feet  long.  Around  the  head, 
shoulders,  and  sides  of  the  god,  in  front  of  the  halo,  are 
sixteen  sitting  figures,  said  to  be  eight  feet  long.  The 
leaves  of  the  immense  lotus  on  which  he  sits  are  each  ten 
feet  long  and  six  feet  wide,  and  there  are  fifty-six  of  them. 
The  casting1  must  have  been  wonderfully  well  executed, 
although  the  fineness  of  the  leaf-edges  and  other  parts 
which  we  were  able  to  examine,  and  the  elaborate  engraving 
which  can  be  traced  upon  the  lotus-leaves  in  the  uninjured 
parts,  leave  no  doubt  that  the  founder's  art  was  elaborately 
supplemented  by  the  file  and  graver.  The  countenance  of 
the  god  is  less  mild  and  calm  of  expression  than  is  usual  in 
images  of  Buddha.  The  right  hand  is  opened  and  raised 
upwards,  the  left  rests  on  the  lap. 

The  surroundings  of  this  enormous  image  are  interesting, 
some  of  them  very  beautiful.  On  his  right  hand  is  a  very 
large  image  of  Kokuzo,  and  on  his  left  one  of  the  goddess 

1  This  idol  was  first  cast  in  the  year  743.  It  was  twice  destroyed  dur- 
ing the  time  of  wars  in  its  neighbourhood,  and  the  idol  which  at  present 
exists  was  erected  about  seven  hundred  years  ago. 


140  JAPAN 

Kwannon,  who  here  seems  to  occupy  a  more  pronounced 
and  immediate  association  with  Buddha  than  usual. 

Our  return  trip  was  a  delightful  one.  Up  at  seven  in 
the  morning,  we  were  soon  sunning  ourselves  in  the  deli- 
cious brightness  and  warmth,  with  a  pretty  and  curious 
garden  before  us,  and  old  temples,  old  woods,  and  old  hills 
all  around  us,  and  a  sky  above  us  far  older  than  all  of  them, 
and  yet  wrought  of  material  as  unsubstantial  and  evanes- 
cent as  a  dream. 

Passing  once  more  the  grim  gate-keepers,  away  we  rolled, 
merrily  through  the  merry  morning,  past  the  old  temples 
and  pagodas ;  among  the  staring  people ;  between  the 
huge  lanterns  of  the  portal,  and  on  to  the  westward- 
spreading  plain  over  which  eleven  hundred  years  ago 
the  imperial  sacred  city  shone.  On  our  right  lay  large 
mounds,  the  tombs  of  emperors  and  empresses,  each  of 
whom  has  been  a  god  for  ages  past.  Over  their  tombs 
spread  clumps  of  pine-trees,  and  beneath  the  pines  stand 
their  shrines,  to  which  a  people  reverent,  and  with  a  cause, 
of  their  ancestral  gods  resort  to  breathe  forth  their  simple 
prayers.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  present  bound- 
ary, we  reached  a  village,  at  which  the  road  turned  right 
and  left,  and  it  was  to  this  point  that  the  ancient  capital 
extended. 


KIOTO 

PIERRE  LOTI 

WHAT  a  great  city,  this  Kioto,  occupying  with 
its  parks,  its  palaces,  its  pagodas,  almost  the 
territory  of  Paris.  Built  entirely  on  a  plain, 
but  surrounded  by  high  mountains  as  though  to  appear  more 
mysterious. 

We  hurry  on  through  a  labyrinth  of  small  streets  of  lit- 
tle wooden  houses  which  are  low  and  discoloured.  It  has 
the  appearance  of  a  deserted  city.  This  is  truly  Japanese, 
and  nothing  is  inharmonious.  I  alone  am  odd,  since  people 
turn  back  to  look  at  me. 

It  takes  half  an  hour's  frantic  hurrying  to  get  to  the 
Hotel  Yaami,  the  address  of  which  I  had  given  to  my  djin. 
This  is  apparently  a  real  hotel,  quite  new,  which  a  Japanese 
has  set  up  in  the  English  style,  for  the  accommodation  of 
amiable  travellers  from  the  West.  It  is  absolutely  necessary 
that  we  should  go  there  to  obtain  something  to  eat,  as  the 
Japanese  cuisine  serves  us  at  best  as  a  form  of  amusement.  It 
is  charmingly  situated,  fifty  miles  up  in  the  mountains  over- 
looking the  city,  amongst  gardens  and  woods.  We  made 
the  ascent  by  means  of  an  extremely  dainty  ascent,  up 
slopes  which  are  sanded  and  bordered  by  rock-work  and 
flowers,  all  of  this  too  pretty,  too  much  studied,  too  much 

141 


142  JAPAN 

after  the  design  on  a  Chinese  vase,  but  yet  very  dainty, 
very  neat. 

A  first  light  repast,  served  entirely  in  the  English  style, 
accompanied  with  tea  and  bread  and  butter,  and  then  I  call 
for  two  djln  whom  I  engage  at  a  fixed  wage  of  seventy- 
five  cents  each  per  diem  •  for  this  sum  they  will  run  around 
for  me  from  morning  until  night  without  so  much  as  getting 
out  of  breath  or  heaving  a  sigh,  dragging  me  along  with 
them. 

This  travelling  by  way  of  djins  is  a  never  to  be  forgotten 
souvenir  of  the  days  in  Kioto  where  we  are  compelled  to 
hurry  to  see  and  do  so  many  things. 

Hurried  along  at  a  gait  twice  as  fast  as  a  horse  at  the 
trot,  we  jump  from  one  rut  into  another,  push  through  the 
crowds,  cross  little  creaking  bridges,  and  find  ourselves 
travelling  along  through  deserted  gardens.  We  even  mount 
and  descend  steps ;  so  that  at  each  step,  bump,  bump,  bump 
we  are  shaken  in  our  seats,  breaking  the  shock  with  our 
hands.  Finally,  at  night,  we  find  ourselves  dazed,  and  we 
see  things  defiling  before  us  in  a  hurried  kaleidoscopic  way, 
the  changing  scene  of  which  would  tire  the  eyes. 

How  eccentric,  changeable,  bizarre  is  this  Kioto  !  The 
streets  still  noisy,  encumbered  with  djins,  with  strollers,  ven- 
dors of  gaudy  posters,  of  eccentric  oriflammes  which  float  in 
the  breeze. 

At  one  time,  we  are  hurrying  amidst  noises  and  cries ;  at 
another,  it  is  amidst  the  silence  of  abandoned  things,  amidst 
the  debris  of  a  great,  dead  past.  We  are  in  the  midst  of  a 


KIOTO  143 

glittering  show  of  stuffs  and  porcelains;  then  again  we 
approach  great  temples,  and  only  the  vendors  of  idols  open 
up  their  booths  filled  with  unimaginable  figures  ;  or  again, 
we  are  surprised  by  suddenly  entering  a  forest  of  bamboos 
whose  tops  are  of  great  height,  close  together,  frail  and 
gives  one  the  impression  of  having  become  an  insignificant 
insect  such  as  crawls  through  the  fine  grass  of  our  fields  in 
June. 

And  what  an  immense  religious  caphamaum,  and  what  a 
gigantic  sanctuary  of  adoration,  is  this  Kioto  of  the  ancient 
Emperors  !  Three  thousand  temples  where  rest  innumer- 
able riches,  consecrated  to  all  kinds  of  gods,  goddesses,  or 
beasts.  Palaces  empty  and  silent,  where  we  traverse  shoe- 
less, a  series  of  rooms  all  in  lacquer  and  gold,  decorated  in 
a  manner  strangely  rare  and  beautiful.  Sacred  groves  con- 
taining centenarian  trees,  the  avenues  of  which  are  bordered 
with  a  legion  of  monsters  in  granite,  marble,  or  bronze. 

To  see  this  whole  deployed  before  us  from  a  height,  in 
the  gay  morning  sunshine,  at  nine  o'clock,  we  ascend  a 
tower,  such  as  did  Madame  Malborough  of  days  of  old ; — 
it  is  the  Yasaka  tower; — it  reminds  one  of  those  pagodas 
with  multiple  stories,  such  as  one  sees  on  the  backs  of  those 
bronze  elephants  in  which  the  Chinese  burn  incense.  The 
ground  floor  is  arranged  as  a  temple ;  large  golden  Buddhas 
lost  in  ancientness  and  dust,  lanterns  and  sacred  vases  con- 
taining bouquets  of  lotus. 

On  the  top  story,  a  Buddha  Cabinet  in  a  corner.  I 
open  it,  to  look  at  the  god  who  inhabits  it ;  he  appears  very 


144  JAPAN 

aged  and  decayed,  squatting  down  in  his  lotus,  with  a  mys- 
terious smile  under  a  layer  of  dust.  From  this  topmost 
gallery,  we  see,  as  though  hovering  over  it,  the  immense 
city,  spread  out  like  an  ant-hill  on  the  level  plain,  with  its 
fence  of  tall  mountains,  whose  forests  of  pine  and  bamboo 
are  of  a  lovely  green  tint. 

At  the  first  glance,  one  would  almost  imagine  it  to  be  a 
European  city ;  millions  of  small  roofs  with  sombre  grey 
tiles,  which  remind  us  of  our  Northern  cities ;  here  and 
there  straight  thoroughfares,  making  clear  lines  in  the 
midst  of  this  blackish  mass. 

In  spite  of  oneself,  one  looks  for  churches  and  belfrys ; 
but  no,  nothing  of  this  kind ;  on  the  contrary,  a  strange 
and  far-away  note  is  given  by  these  high  monumental  roofs, 
too  large,  too  strangely  shaped,  which  surge  up  in  the 
midst  of  small  low  houses,  and  which  are  either  palaces  or 
pagodas.  Not  a  sound  reaches  me  from  the  old  religious 
capital ;  at  such  a  height  one  would  say  it  were  entirely 
dead. 

A  beautiful  soft  sun  lights  it  up,  and  floats  over  it  like  a 
veil,  like  the  light  mist  of  autumn  mornings. 

The  temple  of  Kiyomizu, — one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  most  venerated.  It  is,  according  to  custom,  perched 
somewhat  up  in  the  mountains,  surrounded  by  the  beauti- 
ful verdure  of  the  woods.  The  roads  by  which  we  ascend 
are  pretty  well  deserted.  The  approaches  are  occupied  es- 
pecially by  porcelain  vendors,  their  varied  stock  glistening 
with  varnish  and  gilt.  No  one  is  in  the  booths,  no  one  is 


KIOTO  145 

outside  to  inspect  them.  These  streets  are  only  frequented 
on  certain  days  of  pilgrimage  or  holidays;  to-day  it  resem- 
bles a  large  exposition  devoid  of  visitors. 

As  we  approach,  always  ascending,  the  vendors  of  porce- 
lains give  place  to  vendors  of  idols,  a  stranger  kind  of  ware. 
Thousands  of  figures  of  gods  and  monsters,  sinister,  mock- 
ing, or  grotesque  ;  some  are  enormous  and  others  very  old, 
having  escaped  from  old  demolished  temples,  and  which  are 
very  costly  ;  there  are  especially  an  innumerable  quantity 
in  clay  and  in  plaster,  standing  on  the  pavement  at  a  cent 
apiece,  or  even  less,  altogether  humorous  and  comical,  for 
the  use  of  little  children.  Where  does  the  god  begin  and 
the  plaything  end  ?  Do  the  Japanese  themselves  know  ? 

The  steps  follow  one  another  really  too  rapidly,  and  I 
descend  to  the  ground,  in  spite  of  my  djin  assuring  me  that 
it  does  not  matter,  that  this  street  can  be  quite  easily  as- 
cended on  wheels.  At  last,  here  is  a  real  stairway  in  gran- 
ite, monumental,  at  the  top  of  which  stands  the  first  mon- 
strous portal  of  the  temple. 

At  first  we  enter  into  large  courts  and  terraces  from  which 
the  view  extends  over  the  holy  city  ;  ancient  trees  spread 
their  branches  over  a  pell-mell  mass  of  tombs,  monsters, 
religious  kiosks,  and  garlanded  tea-booths.  Little  second- 
ary temples,  filled  with  idols,  are  planted  at  hazard,  here 
and  there.  And  the  two  large  ones  appear  at  the  other 
end,  crowding  everything  else  with  their  enormous  roofs. 

A  miraculous  water,  which  people  come  from  long  dis- 
tances to  drink,  comes  limpid  and  fresh  from  the  moun- 


146  JAPAN 

tain,  vomited  into  a  basin  by  a  chimaera  in  bronze,  bristling, 
clawing,  enraged,  doubles  up  on  itself  as  though  ready  to 
make  a  spring. 

In  these  large  temples  at  the  further  end,  one  is  seized 
on  entering  by  an  unexpected  sentiment  of  horror  of  things 
religious  :  the  gods  appear  recoiling,  which  is  increased  by 
the  profoundness  of  the  obscurity.  A  number  of  barriers 
prevents  the  profanation  of  the  region  which  they  inhabit 
and  in  which  burn  lamps  with  their  light  subdued. 

They  are  seen  seated  on  benches,  in  chairs  on  thrones 
of  gold.  Buddhas,  Amidas,  Kwannons,  Bentens,  a  pell- 
mell  of  symbols  and  emblems,  including  the  mirrors  of  the 
Shinto  cult  which  are  representative  of  truth ;  all  this  gives 
the  idea  of  a  horrible  chaos  of  Japanese  theogony.  Before 
them  are  heaped  up  unheard  of  riches  ;  gigantic  perfume- 
burners  of  antique  design  ;  marvellous  lamp-holders  ;  sacred 
vases  from  which  protrude  sheaves  of  lotus  in  silver  or  gold. 
From  the  arch  of  the  temple  hang  a  profusion  of  embroid- 
ered banners,  lanterns,  enormous  chandeliers  of  copper  and 
bronze,  crowded  together  as  almost  to  touch,  this  in  an  ex- 
travagant confusion.  But  time  has  shed  over  these  things 
a  slightly  grey  tint,  like  that  of  a  badger,  which  is  softening, 
to  harmonize  them  all.  The  massive  columns  with  bases 
of  bronze  are  worn  away  to  the  height  of  a  human  body  by 
the  contact  of  past  generations  who  came  to  their  prayers ; 
the  whole  breathes  of  a  far-away  spirit  of  past  epochs. 

Groups  of  men  and  women  defile  past  the  idols  in  bare 
feet,  with  an  inattentive  and  light  air;  they  however  recite 


KIOTO  147 

prayers,  clapping  their  hands  so  as  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  spirits  ;  they  then  seat  themselves  under  the  tents 
of  the  vendors  of  tea,  to  smoke  and  to  laugh. 

The  second  temple  is  in  appearance  like  the  first ;  the 
same  heaping  up  of  precious  objects ;  only  it  has  the 
peculiarity  of  being  constructed  as  a  projection,  suspended 
over  a  precipice;  these  are  prodigious  piles  which  for 
centuries  have  sustained  it  in  the  air  (/'.  *>.,  in  position). 
On  entering,  one  does  not  realize  it,  but  on  arriving  at  the 
end,  at  the  veranda  at  the  back  part,  one  leans  over  with 
surprise  to  plunge  the  eyes  into  an  abyss  of  verdure  which 
one  overhangs  ;  forests  of  bamboos,  of  a  delicious  freshness 
and  seen  from  overhead  in  a  fading  foreshortening.  One 
is  here  as  though  on  the  balcony  of  some  gigantic  ae'rian 
dwelling. 

From  below,  arise  sounds  of  most  merry  plashing  of 
water  and  bursts  of  laughter.  There  are  five  miraculous 
sources,  having  the  power  of  rendering  young  married 
women  mothers,  and  a  group  of  women  are  installed 
beneath  the  shade  drinking  the  same.  This  wood  com- 
posed entirely  of  Japanese  bamboos  is  singularly  beautiful. 
Seen  as  it  is  from  above,  it  appears  like  a  series  of  immense 
plumes  regular  and  parallel,  tinted  with  the  same  five 
shaded  green  colour  which  becomes  clearer  towards  the 
tops ;  and  the  whole  is  so  light,  that  at  each  breath  of  air 
they  wave  and  tremble.  And  these  women  down  below 
in  this  well  of  verdure,  appear  like  little  Japanese  fairies 
with  their  gowns  of  startling  colours  fantastically  com- 


148  JAPAN 

bined,  with  their  high  head-dress  traversed  by  pins  and 
flowers.  These  new  things  are  refreshing  to  gaze  upon 
after  all  those  terrible  gods  which  one  sees  under  the  lights 
of  lamps,  and  which  one  sees  continually  before  one,  be- 
hind one,  aligned  in  those  obscure  sanctuaries. 

At  the  Hotel  Yaami,  the  meals  are  arranged  after  a 
manner  truly  Britannic:  small  pieces  of  bread;  underdone 
roast  meats  and  boiled  potatoes. 

In  this  hotel  I  experienced  a  truly  agreeable  moment. 
It  is  after  the  mid-day  dinner  when  I  sit  alone  on  the 
veranda  from  which  one  overlooks  the  city,  smoking  a 
cigarette  in  a  sort  of  half-doze  of  the  spirit.  On  the  first 
level  is  the  garden,  with  its  labyrinths  in  miniature,  its 
very  small  rock-work,  its  miniature  lake,  its  dwarfed  trees, 
some  of  which  have  leaves,  other  flowers  only,  just  like 
the  scenery  on  porcelain.  Over  and  above  these  pretty 
things,  in  the  Japanese  fashion,  there  is  deployed  in  the 
distance  the  city  with  its  thousands  of  black  roofs,  its 
palaces,  its  temples,  and  its  belt  of  bluish  mountains. 

There  is  always  the  light  white  mist  of  autumn  floating 
in  the  air,  and  the  warm  sun,  lighting  up  everything  with 
its  pure  light.  And  the  country  is  entirely  filled  with  the 
everlasting  music  of  the  grasshoppers. 

Mr.  Yaami,  I  beg  you  to  order  my  djin  at  once  and 
let  us  away  to  the  palace  of  Taiko-Sama  ! 


THE  MIKADO'S  PALACE 

PIERRE  LOTI 

AN  enclosure  of  high  walls.  My  djin  stop  in  front 
of  a  first  gateway  in  the  ancient  severe  and 
religious  style :  massive  columns  with  bases  of 
bronze ;  a  narrow  frieze  sculptured  with  strange  orna- 
ments ;  and  a  heavy  and  enormous  roof. 

Then  I  walked  into  the  vast  deserted  court-yards 
planted  with  venerable  trees,  to  the  branches  of  which 
they  have  given  props,  like  crutches  for  old  men.  The 
immense  buildings  of  the  palace  first  appeared  to  me  in  a 
kind  of  disorder  where  you  can  discern  no  plan  of  unity. 
Everywhere  you  see  these  high,  monumental,  and  heavy 
roofs,  whose  corners  turn  up  in  Chinese  curves  and  bristle 
with  black  ornaments. 

Not  seeing  any  one,  I  walked  on  at  random,  entering 
into  the  silence  of  an  incomprehensible  Past,  in  the  dead 
splendour  of  a  civilization,  whose  architecture,  design,  and 
aesthetic  taste  were  to  me  strange  and  unknown. 

A  bonze  guard  who  saw  me,  advanced,  and,  making  a 
bow,  asked  me  for  my  name  and  passport. 

It  was  satisfactory :  he  will  take  me  himself  to  see  the 
entire  palace  on  condition  that  I  will  take  off  my  shoes  and 
remove  my  hat.  He  even  brings  me  velvet  sandals  which 

149 


150  JAPAN 

are  offered  to  visitors.  Thanks,  I  prefer  to  walk  with  bare 
feet  like  him,  and  we  begin  our  silent  walk  through  an  in- 
terminable series  of  halls  all  lacquered  in  gold,  and  deco- 
rated with  a  rare  and  exquisite  strangeness. 

On  the  floor  there  is  that  eternal  white  matting  that  one 
finds  just  as  simple,  as  well  kept  and  as  neat  in  the  homes 
of  the  emperors  and  in  the  temples,  as  among  the  middle 
classes  and  the  poor.  No  furniture;  for  this  is  unknown 
in  Japan,  or  slightly  known  at  most ;  the  palace  is  entirely 
empty.  All  the  surprising  magnificence  is  upon  the  walls 
and  ceilings.  The  precious  golden  lacquer  is  displayed 
uniformly  on  all  sides,  and  upon  this  background,  Byzan- 
tine in  effect,  all  the  celebrated  artists  of  the  great  Japanese 
century  have  painted  inimitable  objects.  Each  hall  has 
been  decorated  by  a  different  and  illustrious  painter,  whose 
name  the  bonze  cited  to  me  with  respect.  In  one  there 
are  all  the  known  flowers ;  in  another,  all  the  birds  of  the 
air,  and  all  the  beasts  of  the  field ;  or  perhaps  hunting- 
scenes  and  combats,  where  you  see  warriors  dressed  in  armour 
and  terrifying  helmets,  on  horseback  pursuing  monsters  and 
chimaeras.  The  most  peculiar  one,  assuredly,  is  decorated 
entirely  with  fans  :  fans  of  all  forms  and  of  all  colours,  open, 
shut,  and  half  open,  thrown  with  extreme  grace  upon  the 
fine  golden  lacquer.  The  ceilings,  also  of  golden  lacquer 
are  in  compartments,  painted  with  the  same  care  and  the 
same  art.  What  is,  perhaps,  the  most  marvellous  of  all, 
is  that  series  of  high  pierced  friezes  that  extends  around 
all  the  ceilings ;  you  think  of  generations  of  patient 


THE  MIKADO'S  PALACE  151 

workmen  who  have  worn  themselves  out  in  chiselling  such 
delicate,  almost  transparent  things,  in  such  thicknesses 
of  wood :  sometimes  there  are  rose-bushes,  sometimes 
entanglements  of  wistaria,  or  sheaves  of  rice ;  elsewhere 
flights  of  storks  that  seem  to  cleave  the  air  with  great  ve- 
locity, forming  with  their  thousands  of  claws,  extended 
necks,  and  feathers,  a  medley  so  beautifully  combined 
that  it  is  alive  and  scurrying  away ;  nothing  lags  behind, 
nor  falls  into  confusion. 

In  this  palace,  which  is  windowless,  it  is  dusky ;  a  half- 
carkness  favourable  to  enchantments.  The  greater  number 
of  these  halls  receive  a  shimmering  light  from  the  outside 
verandas,  composed  only  of  lacquered  columns,  to  which 
they  are  entirely  open  on  one  side ;  it  is  the  subdued  light 
of  deep  sheds,  or  of  markets.  The  more  mysterious 
interior  apartments  open  on  the  first  by  other  similar 
columns,  and  receive  from  it  a  still  more  attenuated 
light ;  they  can  be  shut  at  will  by  bamboo  curtains  of  an 
extreme  delicacy,  whose  tissue  imitates  in  its  transparency 
the  form  of  a  wave,  and  which  are  raised  to  the  ceiling  by 
enormous  tassels  of  red  silk.  Communication  is  had  by 
species  of  doorways,  the  forms  of  which  are  unusual  and 
unthought-of :  sometimes  they  are  perfect  circles  and  some- 
times they  are  more  complicated  figures,  such  as  hexagons 
or  stars.  And  all  these  secondary  openings  have  frame- 
works of  black  lacquer  which  stand  out  with  an  elegant 
distinction  upon  the  general  background  of  the  gold, 
and  which  bear  upon  the  corners  ornaments  of  bronze 


152  JAPAN 

marvellously  chiselled  by  the  metal-workers  of  the 
past. 

The  centuries  also  have  embellished  this  palace,  veiling 
a  little  the  glitter  of  the  objects  by  blending  all  these  har- 
monies of  gold  in  a  kind  of  very  gentle  shadow ;  in  its 
silence  and  solitude  one  might  call  it  the  enchanted 
dwelling  of  some  Sleeping  Beauty^  of  a  princess  of  an  un- 
known world,  or  of  a  planet  that  could  not  be  our  own. 

We  pass  before  some  little  interior  gardens,  which  are, 
according  to  the  Japanese  custom,  miniature  reductions  of 
very  wild  places, — unlooked-for  contrasts  in  the  centre  of 
this  golden  palace.  There  also  time  has  passed,  throwing 
its  emerald  upon  the  little  rocks,  the  tiny  lakes,  and  the 
small  abysses;  exhausting  the  little  mountains,  and  giving 
an  appearance  of  reality  to  all  that  is  minute  and  artificial. 
The  trees,  dwarfed  by  I  do  not  know  what  Japanese 
process,  have  not  grown  larger;  but  they  have  taken  on  an 
air  of  extreme  old  age.  The  cycas  have  acquired  many 
branches,  because  of  their  hundreds  of  years ;  one  would 
call  the  little  palms  of  multiple  trunks,  antidiluvian 
plants ;  or  rather  massive  black  candelabra,  whose  every  arm 
carries  at  its  extremity  a  fresh  bouquet  of  green  plumes. 

What  also  surprises  us  is  the  special  apartment  chosen 
by  this  Taiko-Sama,  who  was  both  a  great  conqueror  and  a 
great  emperor.  It  is  very  small  and  very  simple,  and  looks 
upon  the  tiniest,  and  the  most  artificial  of  the  little  gardens. 

The  Reception  Hall,  which  they  showed  me  last  of  all, 
is  the  largest  and  the  most  magnificent.  It  is  about  fifty 


THE  MIKADO'S  PALACE  153 

metres  long,  and,  naturally,  all  in  golden  lacquer,  with  a 
high  and  marvellous  frieze.  No  furniture ;  nothing  but  the 
stages  of  lacquer  upon  which  the  handsome  lords  on  arriv- 
ing placed  their  arms.  At  the  back,  behind  a  colonnade, 
the  platform,  where  Tai'ko-Sama  held  his  audiences  at  the 
period  of  our  Henri  IV.  Then  it  is  that  one  dreams  of  these 
receptions,  of  these  entrances  of  brilliant  noblemen,  whose 
helmets  are  surmounted  by  horns,  snouts  and  grotesque 
figures;  and  all  the  unheard-of  ceremonial  of  this  court. 
One  may  dream  of  all  this,  but  he  will  not  clearly  see  it 
revive.  Not  only  is  the  period  too  remote,  but  it  is  too 
far  away  in  grade  among  the  races  of  the  earth ;  it  is  too 
far  outside  of  our  conceptions  and  the  notions  that  we 
have  inherited  regarding  these  things.  It  is  the  same  in  the 
old  temples  of  this  country  ;  we  look  at  them  without  un- 
derstanding; the  symbols  escape  us.  Between  Japan  and 
ourselves  the  difference  of  origin  has  made  a  deep  abyss. 

"  We  shall  cross  another  hall,"  the  bonze  said  to  me, 
"and  then  a  series  of  passages  that  will  lead  us  to  the 
temple  of  the  palace." 

In  this  last  hall  there  are  some  people,  which  is  a  sur- 
prise, as  all  the  former  ones  were  empty  ;  but  silence  dwells 
there  just  the  same.  The  men  squatting  all  around  the 
walls  seem  very  busy  writing ;  they  are  priests  copying 
prayers  with  tiny  pencils  on  rice-paper  to  sell  to  the  people. 
Here,  upon  the  golden  background  of  the  walls,  all  the 
paintings  represent  royal  tigers,  a  little  larger  than  their  nat- 
ural size,  in  all  attitudes  of  fury,  of  watching,  of  the  hunt, 


154  JAPAN 

of  prowling,  or  of  sleep.  Above  these  motionless  bonzes 
they  lift  their  great  heads,  so  expressive  and  wicked,  show 
ing  their  sharp  teeth. 

My  guide  bowed  on  entering.  As  I  am  among  the  most 
polite  people  in  the  world,  1  feel  obliged  to  bow  also.  Then 
the  reverence  that  was  accorded  to  me  passes  all  along  the 
hall,  and  we  go  through. 

Passages  obstructed  with  manuscripts  and  bales  of  prayers 
are  passed,  and  we  are  in  the  temple.  It  is,  as  I  expected, 
of  great  magnificence.  Walls,  ceilings,  columns,  all  is  in 
golden  lacquer,  the  high  frieze  representing  leaves  and 
bunches  of  enormous  peonies,  very  full  blown  and  sculp- 
tured with  so  much  skill  that  they  seem  ready  to  drop  their 
leaves  at  the  least  breath  to  fall  in  a  golden  shower  upon  the 
floor.  Behind  a  colonnade,  in  the  darkest  place,  are  the 
idols  and  emblems,  in  the  midst  of  all  the  rich  collection  of 
sacred  vases,  incense-burners,  and  torch-bearers. 

Just  now  it  is  the  hour  of  Buddhist  service.  In  one  of 
the  courts,  a  gong,  with  the  deep  tones  of  a  double-bass, 
begins  to  ring  with  extreme  deliberation.  Some  bonzes  in 
robes  of  black  gauze  with  green  surplices  make  a  ritualistic 
entrance,  the  passes  of  which  are  very  complicated,  and 
then  they  go  and  kneel  in  the  centre  of  the  sanctuary. 
There  are  very  few  of  the  faithful ;  scarcely  two  or  three 
groups,  which  seem  lost  in  this  great  temple.  There  are 
some  women  lying  on  the  matting,  having  brought  their 
little  smoking-boxes  and  their  little  pipes  ;  they  are  talking 
in  very  low  voices  and  smothering  the  desire  to  laugh. 


THE  MIKADO'S  PALACE  155 

However,  the  gong  begins  to  sound  more  rapidly  and  the 
priests  to  make  low  bows  to  their  gods.  It  sounds  still 
faster,  and  the  bonzes  quicken  their  bows,  while  the  priests 
prostrate  themselves  upon  their  faces. 

Then,  in  the  mystic  regions  something  happens  that  re- 
minds me  very  much  of  the  elevation  of  the  host  in  the  Ro- 
man cult.  Outside  the  gong,  as  if  exasperated,  sounds 
with  rapid  strokes,  uninterruptedly  and  frantically. 

I  believe  that  I  have  seen  everything  now  in  this  palace; 
but  I  still  do  not  understand  the  disposition  of  the  halls,  the 
plan  of  the  whole.  If  alone,  I  should  soon  become  lost  in 
it,  as  if  in  a  labyrinth. 

Happily,  my  guide  comes  to  take  me  out,  after  having 
put  my  shoes  on  me  himself.  Across  new  halls  of  silence, 
passing  by  an  old  and  gigantic  tree,  which  has  miraculous 
properties,  it  seems,  having  for  several  centuries  protected 
this  palace  from  fire,  he  conducted  me  through  the  same  gate 
by  which  I  had  entered  and  where  my  djin  are  waiting  for 
me. 


THE  INLAND  SEA 

AIME  HUMBERT 

THE  Inland  Sea  of  Japan  is  bounded  by  the  southern 
coasts  of  Nippon,  and  the  northern  coasts  of  Kiu- 
shiu  and  Shi-koku.  It  is,  however,  more  like  a 
canal  than  a  real  Mediterranean  Sea,  being  a  communication 
established  at  the  height  of  the  thirty-fourth  degree  of  north 
latitude,  between  the  Chinese  Sea,  or  more  strictly,  of  the 
Strait  of  Korea  on  the  western  coast  of  Japan,  and  the  great 
ocean  which  washes  the  southern  and  eastern  shores  of  the 
same  archipelago.  The  whole  of  the  Japanese  Mediterra- 
nean is  sometimes  known  as  the  Sea  of  Souwo. 

The  Japanese  Mediterranean,  like  the  European  sea  so 
called,  is  divided  into  several  basins.  They  are  five  in 
number,  and  are  named  from  the  most  important  of  the 
provinces  which  overlook  them,  so  that  the  Inland  Sea  bears 
five  different  names  throughout  its  longitudinal  course  from 
west  to  east. 

In  the  midst  of  the  natural  wealth  which  surrounds  them, 
the  large,  industrious,  and  intelligent  population  of  the 
country  parts  of  Japan  have  for  their  entire  possessions  only 
a  humble  shed,  a  few  working  implements,  some  pieces  of 
cotton  cloth,  a  few  mats,  a  cloak  of  straw,  a  little  store  of 
tea,  oil,  rice,  and  salt ;  for  furniture,  nothing  but  two  or 

156 


THE  INLAND  SEA  157 

three  cooking  utensils  ;  in  a  word,  only  the  strict  necessaries 
of  existence.  The  uniformity  of  the  rustic  dwellings  is 
broken  by  temples,  but  they  are  to  be  distinguished  at  a  dis- 
tance only  by  the  vast  dimensions  of  their  roofs,  and  by  the 
imposing  effect  of  the  ancient  trees  which  are  almost  always 
to  be  found  in  their  vicinity. 

On  entering  the  basin  of  Hiogo,  we  came  in  sight  of  a 
town  of  some  importance,  on  the  coast  of  Shi-koku  ;  it  is 
called  Imabari.  A  vast  sandy  beach,  which  is  rarely  to  be 
found  in  Japan,  stretched  back  to  a  kind  of  suburb,  in  which 
we  could  discern  a  busy  concourse  of  people,  apparently  car- 
rying on  a  market  business.  Above  the  strand  were  fertile 
plains,  whose  undulating  lines  were  lost  in  the  mist  at  the 
foot  of  a  chain  of  mountains  bathed  in  sunshine.  The  prin- 
cipal peaks  of  this  chain — Kori-yama,  Yafatzowsen,  and 
Siro  Yama — are  from  1,000  to  1,600  yards  in  height. 

We  anchored  in  a  bay  of  the  island  of  Souyousima,  at 
the  southern  point  of  the  province  of  Bitsiou,  and  at  the 
entrance  of  the  basin  of  Arima.  We  were  surrounded  by 
mountains,  at  whose  feet  twinkled  many  lights  shining  in 
from  houses.  The  stillness  was  unbroken  save  by  the  dis- 
tant barking  of  dogs.  Next  morning,  April  24,  very  early, 
we  were  ploughing  the  peaceful  waters  of  the  Arimanado. 
This  basin  is  completely  closed  on  the  east  by  a  single 
island,  which  divides  it  from  the  Idsouminada  by  a  length 
of  thirty  miles.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  whose  apex, 
turned  towards  the  north,  faces  the  province  of  Arima,  on 
the  island  of  Nippon.  This  is  the  beautiful  island  of 


158  JAPAN 

Awaji,  which  was  the  dwelling-place  of  the  gods  and  the 
cradle  of  the  national  mythology  of  the  Japanese.  The 
lowlands  at  the  southern  extremity  are  covered  with  a  lux- 
uriant vegetation,  and  the  soil  rises  gently  into  cultivated  or 
wooded  hills  until  they  touch  the  boundaries  of  a  chain  of 
mountains  from  300  to  700  yards  in  height. 

The  greater  number  of  the  steamers  which  cross  the  Japa- 
nese Mediterranean  from  west  to  east,  pass  from  the  basin  of 
Arima  into  that  of  Idsoumi,  where  they  generally  touch  at 
the  important  commercial  town  of  Hiogo;  and  from  thence 
they  enter  the  great  ocean  by  the  Strait  of  Linschoten. 
That  passage  of  Naruto  which  leads  directly  from  the  basin 
of  Arima  into  the  great  ocean  is  shorter  than  the  former  ; 
it  is,  however,  much  less  frequented,  because  it  is  consid- 
ered a  dangerous  channel  for  high-decked  vessels. 

We  saw  the  coasts  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  to  us,  as 
we  descended,  towards  the  south-west  corner  of  this  tri- 
angular piece  of  land.  At  the  same  time  a  promontory  of 
the  island  of  Shi-koku  rose  above  the  horizon  on  our  right, 
and  seemed  to  stretch  continuously  onward  in  the  direction 
of  Awaji.  Very  soon  we  found  ourselves  in  a  passage 
from  whence  we  could  distinctly  see  the  beautiful  vegeta- 
tion of  the  coast  of  Shi-koku  and  the  coast  of  Awadsi.  At 
length  we  saw  the  gates  of  the  Strait ;  on  the  left,  rocks 
surmounted  by  pines,  forming  the  front  of  the  island  of 
Awaji ;  on  the  right,  a  solitary  rock,  or  islet,  also  bearing 
a  few  pines,  forming  the  front  of  the  island  of  Shi-koku. 
Between  them  the  sea,  like  a  bar  of  breakers,  though  the 


THE  INLAND  SEA  159 

weather  was  calm  :  afar,  the  undulating  ocean,  without  a 
speck  of  foam ;  the  tossing  of  the  waves  in  the  passage  be- 
ing solely  the  result  of  the  violence  of  the  current.  All 
around  us,  on  the  waves  and  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks,  were 
thousands  of  sea-birds,  screaming,  fluttering,  and  diving  for 
the  prey  which  the  sea,  stirred  to  its  depths  by  the  current, 
was  perpetually  tossing  up  to  them.  Several  fishing-boats 
were  out,  not  on  the  canal — that  would  have  been  impos- 
sible— but  behind  the  rocks,  in  the  creeks  of  the  little  soli- 
tary islet  and  of  Shi-koku. 

Below  Awaji,  the  united  waters  of  the  two  straits  of 
Naruto  and  Linschoten  form  the  canal  of  Kino,  which 
washes  the  shores  of  the  province  of  Awa,  on  Shi-koku,  and 
of  the  province  of  Kisou  on  Nippon.  We  sailed  for  some 
time  yet  in  sight  of  the  latter ;  then  the  land  disappeared 
from  our  eyes,  and  we  soon  perceived,  by  the  wide  rolling 
motion  of  the  waves,  that  we  were  on  the  outer  sea,  in  the 
immense  domain  of  the  great  ocean. 

I  occupied  myself,  during  the  whole  evening,  in  recalling 
the  recollections  of  my  journey  ;  and  I  could  find  nothing 
out  of  Switzerland  to  compare  with  the  effect  of  the  beau- 
tiful Japanese  scenery.  Since  then,  several  Japanese, 
travelling  in  Switzerland,  have  told  me  that  no  other  coun- 
try awakened  so  vividly  the  remembrance  of  their  own.  Still 
more  frequently  I  transported  myself  in  fancy  to  one  or 
other  of  the  archipelagoes  of  the  Souwanda,  earnestly  desir- 
ing the  advent  of  that  hour  when  the  breath  of  liberty  will 
give  them,  in  the  Far  East,  the  importance  which  formerly 


160  JAPAN 

belonged,  in  Europe,  to  the  Archipelago  of  our  Mediterra 
nean. 

They  cannot  be  blended  into  a  general  impression. 
Nothing  is  less  uniform  than  the  scenery  of  the  shores  of 
the  Inland  Sea.  It  is  a  series  of  pictures  which  vary  infi- 
nitely, according  to  the  greater  or  less  proximity  of  the 
coasts,  or  to  the  aspect  of  the  islands  on  the  horizon. 
There  are  grand  marine  scenes,  where  the  lines  of  the  sea 
blend  with  sandy  beaches  sleeping  under  the  golden  rays  of 
the  sun  ;  while  in  the  distance,  the  misty  mountains  form 
a  dim  background.  There  are  little  landscapes,  very  clear, 
trim,  and  modest :  a  village  at  the  back  of  a  peaceful  bay, 
surrounded  by  green  fields,  over  which  towers  a  forest  of 
pines  ;  just  as  one  may  see  by  a  lake  in  the  Jura  on  a  fine 
morning  in  June. 

Sometimes,  when  the  basins  contracted,  and  the  islands 
in  front  seemed  to  shut  us  in,  I  remembered  the  Rhine 
above  Boppart.  The  Japanese  scenery  is,  however,  more 
calm  and  bright  than  the  romantic  landscapes  to  which  I 
allude.  The  abrupt  slopes,  the  great  masses  of  shade,  the 
shifting  lines,  are  replaced  by  horizontal  levels;  by  a  beach, 
a  port,  and  terraces  ;  in  the  distance  are  rounded  islands, 
sloping  hills,  conical  mountains.  These  pictures  have  their 
charms  :  the  imagination,  no  less  than  the  eye,  rests  in  the 
contemplation  of  them  ;  but  it  would  seek  in  vain  that 
melancholy  attraction  which,  according  to  the  notions  of 
European  taste,  seems  inseparable  from  the  enjoyment. 

On   the   night  of  April    24,    after    having    doubled  the 


THE  INLAND  SEA  161 

southern  point  of  the  great  island  of  Nippon,  /.  *.,  the  prom- 
ontory of  Idsoumo,  situated  at  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  principality  of  Kisou,  we  sailed,  during  the  whole  day 
on  the  25th,  with  the  current  which  the  Japanese  call 
Kouro-Siwo,  which  runs  from  south-west  to  north-east,  at 
the  rate  of  from  thirty-five  to  forty  miles  a  day.  It  is  a 
current  of  hot-water,  whose  maximum  temperature  is  thirty 
degrees  Centigrade. 

The  weather  was  fine,  and  the  sea  a  shining  emerald- 
green.  I  passed  many  hours  on  the  poop,  in  stillness  and 
vague  contemplation.  For  the  first  time  I  enjoyed  the 
pleasure  of  sailing.  The  silence  which  reigned  on  board 
added  to  the  majestic  effect  of  the  ship,  laden  up  to  the 
summit  of  her  masts  with  her  triple  wings  of  white.  It 
was  as  though  the  fires  had  been  extinguished,  and  the 
noise  of  the  engines  hushed,  that  we  might  present  our- 
selves more  respectfully  at  the  gates  of  the  residence  of  the 
Tycoons.  But  when  night  fell,  the  fires  were  lighted 
again,  in  case  of  accident ;  for  the  land-winds  frequently 
cause  much  trouble  to  the  ships  in  the  Gulf  of  Yedo.  On 
the  26th,  at  daybreak,  we  came  within  sight  of  six  small 
mountainous  islands,  which  looked  like  signals  set  up  at  the 
entrance  of  this  vast  arm  of  the  sea. 

The  sun  rose,  and  presented,  amid  the  salt  sea  mists  of 
the  horizon,  that  image  of  a  scarlet  globe  which  forms  the 
national  arms  of  Japan.  His  earliest  rays  lighted  up  Cape 
Idsou,  on  the  mainland  of  Nippon,  whilst  in  the  East  we 
beheld  the  smoke  of  the  two  craters  of  the  island  of  Oho- 


if)2  JAPAN 

sima.  At  the  head  of  a  bay  in  the  promontory  of  Idsou  is 
situated  the  town  of  Simoda,  the  first,  but  the  least  impor- 
tant of  the  commercial  places  to  which  we  come  when  sail- 
ing up  the  Gulf  of  Yedo.  The  Americans  obtained  an 
authorization  to  found  an  establishment  there  in  1854. 
Some  time  afterwards  the  harbour  of  Simoda  was  destroyed 
by  an  earthquake,  and  no  mention  was  made  of  that  place 
in  the  treaties  of  1858. 

A  number  of  fishing-boats  are  to  be  seen  on  the  coast, 
and  several  thousand  three-masted  vessels  are  going  to  the 
mainland  of  Nippon  and  the  surrounding  islands.  The 
scene  is  full  of  life  and  sparkling  with  brilliant  and  har- 
monious colour ;  the  wide  sky  is  a  splendid  azure ;  the 
pale  green  sea  has  no  longer  the  sombre  hues  of  the  great 
deeps,  but  shines  with  the  limpid  brightness  which  char- 
acterizes it  upon  the  rocky  coasts  of  Japan.  The  isles  are 
decked  in  the  brilliant  foliage  of  the  spring  ;  the  harsh 
brown  of  the  rocks  is  streaked  with  shades  of  ochre  ;  and 
the  white  sails  of  the  native  barques,  the  snow-crests  of 
Myakesima,  and  the  smoke  from  the  craters  of  Ohosima, 
complete  the  beautiful  marine  scene. 

Having  reached  the  "  Bay  of  the  Mississippi,"  we  made 
out,  for  the  first  time,  the  summit  of  Fusiyama,  the 
"  Matchless  Mountain,"  an  extinct  volcano  nearly  13,000 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  fifty  nautical  miles 
from  the  coast,  on  the  west  of  the  bay,  and  except  for  the 
chain  of  the  Akoni  hills  at  the  base,  completely  isolated. 
The  effect  of  this  immense  solitary  pyramid,  covered  with 


THE  INLAND  SEA  163 

eternal  snow,  surpasses  description.  It  lends  inexpressible 
solemnity  to  the  scenery  of  the  Bay  of  Yedo,  already  more 
sombre  than  that  of  the  gulf,  by  reason  of  the  closer  prox- 
imity of  the  shores,  the  somewhat  sandy  hue  of  the  sea- 
water,  and  the  immense  quantity  of  cedars,  pines,  and  other 
dark-foliaged  trees  which  crown  the  crests  of  all  the  hills 
along  the  coast. 

At  length  we  double  Point  Treaty,  a  picturesque  prom- 
ontory where  the  convention  between  Commodore  Perry 
and  the  Commissioners  of  the  Tycoon  was  signed  ;  and  all 
of  a  sudden,  behind  this  promontory,  we  see  the  quays  and 
the  city  of  Yokohama  stretching  along  a  marshy  beach, 
bounded  on  the  south  and  west  by  a  ring  of  wooded  hills. 
A  score  of  ships  of  war  and  merchant  vessels,  English, 
Dutch,  French,  and  American,  are  lying  out  in  the  roads, 
almost  opposite  the  "  foreign  quarter,"  which  may  be  easily 
recognized  by  its  white  houses  and  its  consular  flags. 
Native  junks  are  lying  at  anchor  at  some  distance  from  the 
jetties  of  the  port  and  the  storehouses  of  the  Custom 
House.  We  pass  by  these  slowly,  and  steam  at  half  speed 
in  front  of  the  Japanese  city,  in  which  all  the  houses,  ex- 
cept a  certain  number  of  shops,  are  built  of  wood,  and  seem 
to  have  only  one  story  above  the  ground  floor. 

When  we  had  come  opposite  to  the  Benten  quarter,  situ- 
ated at  the  extremity  of  the  beach  of  Yokohama,  and  at  the 
mouth  of  a  wide  river,  our  corvette  anchored,  near  the 
Dutch  Legation,  which  was  at  that  time  (1874),  the  only 
European  residence  in  that  part  of  Yokohama. 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOB& 

ANDRE  BELLESSORT 

WE  were  at  Kobe,  and  our  djins  took  us  to  the 
Cascades,  one  of  the  most  popular  promenades 
in  the  city.  They  set  us  down  in  front  of  a 
tea-house  where  two  courteous  Japanese,  whose  easy  ways 
showed  that  they  were  used  to  Europeans,  hastened  to 
meet  us  with  a  smile  upon  their  lips,  and  saluting  us  with  a 
"  Good-morning  !  "  invited  us  to  refresh  ourselves  and  ex- 
hibited no  ill-humour  when  we  refused.  The  sky  had 
clouded  over.  We  followed  the  windings  of  a  path  that 
crept  up  under  the  red  maples  and  dark  pines.  As  we  as- 
cended, I  listened  to  catch  the  fall  of  running  water.  One 
could  hardly  be  hindered  from  hearing  it,  since  there  were 
no  other  cascades  except  a  brook  that  rippled  over  sloping 
rocks.  But  our  most  able  contrivers  of  picturesque  spots 
could  not  have  done  anything  more  with  this  silent  little 
gorge.  Here  everything  contributed  to  delight  the  stroller 
and  distract  his  steps.  Two  wooden  restaurants  with  their 
galleries  faced  the  little  cascade  and  the  second  was  reached 
only  by  passing  through  the  first.  The  low  tables,  covered 
with  matting  and  red  material  served  at  will  as  seats  and 
platforms.  Grated  niches,  in  which  gods  puffed  out  their 
cheeks  like  infants  gorged  with  milk,  sanctified  the  land- 

164 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOBE  165 

scape.  Their  white  streamers  fluttered  among  the  verdure, 
and  their  half  twilight  was  starred  with  pale  glowing  wicks. 
The  path  did  not  run  blindly  along.  Its  windings,  for 
every  one  of  which  there  was  a  reason,  brought  into  view 
in  succession  an  old  twisted  trunk,  extravagant  roots,  a 
space  of  sky  framed  by  green  branchings,  and  the  course 
of  the  ravine  between  two  clumps  of  trees.  At  the  most 
pleasing  spots,  curiosity  and  souvenir  shops  displayed  their 
assortment  of  canes,  pen-holders,  goblets,  paper-weights 
and  photographs.  Five  thousand  leagues  from  Europe,  I 
found  the  little  Chamounix  tradesmen  and  their  trashy 
shell  boxes.  Are  then  the  Japanese  the  Swiss  of  the  Far 
East  ?  And  among  so  many  officers  and  engineers  sent  to 
our  schools,  may  they  not  have  sent  colporters  and  inn- 
keepers to  our  watering-places  and  warm  springs  in  order 
to  learn  there  how  at  the  same  time  to  exploit  the  tourist 
and  engineer  Nature  ? 

On  this  desert  road  in  this  dead  season,  we  met  only  one 
Japanese  family,  composed  of  two  old  people  and  a  young 
woman  whose  child  was  trying  its  first  steps.  The  grand- 
mother whose  eyebrows  were  shaved  off  and  teeth  black- 
ened, and  the  grandfather,  whose  leanness,  angular  and 
shrivelled  face  and  neck  afflicted  with  a  nascent  goitre,  of- 
fered a  vague  resemblance  to  the  marabou-stork,  were 
squatting  in  the  middle  of  the  road  holding  out  their  arms 
to  the  motley  mite  that  tottered  towards  them  protected  by 
his  mother's  extended  sleeves  like  two  great  drooping  wings. 
The  young  woman,  rosy  and  chubby,  made  the  hill  that 


i66  JAPAN 

winter  had  abandoned  echo  with  that  laughter  of  trium- 
phant joy  with  which  maternal  lips  wake  the  echoes  in  the 
four  quarters  of  the  globe. 

Just  as  the  exotic  flavour  of  this  picture  gave  its  ancient 
legend  only  a  slight  tinge  of  novelty,  so  Nature  in  Japan 
did  not  appear  to  me  as  an  unpublished  work  of  the  Creator. 
She  is  pretty,  hospitable,  and  happy  in  her  mountains 
bathed  in  a  subtle  light  that  gives  value  to  the  distances. 
When  necessary,  she  knows  how  to  enhance  her  coquetry, 
with  a  Savoyard  negligence.  Sometimes  her  hair  falls  over 
her  eyes,  but  she  smiles  through  it.  Perhaps  I  should  re- 
proach her  with  some  monotony  in  the  unforeseen,  some 
preparation  in  her  surprises.  She  has  too  often  been  told 
that  she  is  adorable ;  she  has  been  feted  too  much ;  she  has 
been  too  often  taught  the  value  of  the  odd  little  things  of 
fancy  that  she  produces,  and  of  which  ordinarily  she  does 
not  show  herself  so  careful.  And  it  is  in  ransom  of  so 
much  grace  that,  particularly  when  we  want  to  celebrate 
her,  we  forget  her  maternal  sweetness  in  order  to  retain 
nothing  but  her  artistic  virtuosity. 

What  did  I  think  of  the  Japanese  towns  and  their  in- 
habitants ?  Invisible  interviewer,  listen  tome:  the  towns 
are  frightful  and  their  inhabitants  mock  at  our  aesthetics. 
The  luminous  beauty  of  the  roadsteads,  their  amphitheatre 
of  hills  dotted  with  chalets  and  temples,  the  truncated  pyra- 
mid of  Mount  Fuji  which  lifts  high  into  the  sky  its  distant 
and  sacred  snow,  those  perspectives  which  winter  scarcely 
discolours  and  does  not  wither  render  only  more  unbearable 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOBE  167 

the  jumble  of  smutty  huts  that  is  presented  to  our  sight  by 
a  Japanese  town. 

I  shall  long  remember  my  entry  into  Kobe.  The  streets 
of  the  European  concession,  deserted  and  dewy  in  the  cold 
dawn  had  the  tranquil  physiognomy  of  provincial  streets. 
The  consulate  flags  floated  over  this  Western  sub-prefec- 
ture. Little  by  little,  from  the  native  quarter,  a  noise 
reached  us  and  increased, — a  noise  of  wooden  shoes  ham- 
mering the  hardened  ground.  This  town,  in  which  we 
were  commencing  our  wanderings  and  which  extended 
farther  than  the  eye  could  see,  produced  the  effect  of  an 
agglomeration  of  rather  miserable  villages  bordering  uneven 
and  rutty  roads.  The  very  low  houses,  generally  latticed 
and  set  upon  the  ground,  resembled  human  habitations  less 
than  poultry-yards  and  rabbit-hutches.  Their  roofs  of 
planks  or  tiles  have  superimposed  projections,  and  each  is 
surrounded  or  prolonged  by  tiny  dependencies  that  look  like 
hen-houses,  so  that,  to  form  an  idea  of  a  Japanese  street,  a 
rising  street  seen  from  above  or  below,  it  would  be  almost 
sufficient  to  imagine  a  bad  road  on  each  side  of  which  pack- 
ing cases  of  all  sizes  had  been  allowed  to  roll  over  one  an- 
other. Most  of  the  shops  are  kept  by  women.  But  care 
in  the  display  hardly  corresponds  to  the  importance  of  the 
merchandise.  The  most  vulgar  trifle  is  prominently  pre- 
sented, while  the  art  objects  and  rich  stuffs  hide  themselves 
and  flee  from  the  light  of  day. 

Around  us,  kurumayas,  clothed  in  blue  drawers  and 
an  open  blouse  on  which  big  geometrical  designs  are  traced 


168  JAPAN 

in  white,  some  wearing  a  Russian  cap  and  others  Annamite 
hats,  seated  between  the  shafts  of  their  cart  chillily  wrap 
themselves  in  the  red  covering  with  which  they  swathe  the 
traveller's  feet.  I  should  have  taken  them  for  moujiks  but 
for  being  shod  with  straw  sandals  and  their  head-shields  re- 
calling to  mind  the  tropical  sun.  Men  passed  by  perched 
on  their  getas,  almost  all  wearing  the  kimono.  They  had 
the  yellow  tint  and  simian  faces.  Their  teeth,  half  gum- 
less  and  irregular,  furnished  complicated  and  threatening 
mouths.  The  Cingalese  jaw,  pre-eminent  as  it  is,  does 
not  attain  this  terrible  relief.  This  type  of  man  does  not 
sensibly  differ  from  that  of  the  Tagals  and  Annamites. 
But,  my  eyes  being  already  accustomed  to  the  delicate  con- 
formation of  the  Malay  race,  I  was  not  struck  with  their 
small  size. 

At  first,  the  women,  who  were  very  numerous,  discon- 
certed the  ideas  I  had  formed  of  them.  Their  costume 
approached  that  of  the  men.  They  walked  with  a  springy 
little  trot,  with  bent  body,  stretched  neck,  legs  turned  in 
and  loins  arched  by  a  sort  of  cushion  where  the  girdle  is 
tied.  Covered  with  baori,  one  might  think  they  were  trav- 
elling with  their  litter  on  their  back.  Slightly  round- 
shouldered  and  knock-kneed,  these  young  hags  wear  heads 
of  hair  smeared  with  a  brilliant  varnish,  stuck  through  or 
bristling  with  tortoise-shell  pins  which  make  them  look 
like  casques  of  black  lacquer.  Their  eyes,  weighed  down 
by  puffy  lids  are  pressed  towards  the  temples.  Their  nose  and 
mouth  are  often  pressed  in  between  their  rounded  and  ruddy 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOBE  169 

cheeks.  Their  infants,  baled  upon  their  backs,  look  over 
their  shoulders  or  turn  their  little  jolting  heads  back  to- 
wards the  sky.  All  of  them,  men  and  women,  struck  by 
the  fresh  morning  air,  shrugged  their  shoulders  and  shel- 
tered their  arms  in  the  width  of  their  ample  sleeves  which 
hung  wide  open.  It  was  a  city  inhabited  by  a  nation  of 
penguins. 

In  the  afternoon,  our  guides  took  us  to  see  a  Shintoist 
temple.  You  arrive  there  under  alleys  of  porticos  or  fixed 
bars,  the  transverse  bar  of  which  curves  slightly  like  a 
ship's  prow,  and  amid  rows  of  wooden,  stone,  or  bronze 
lanterns  set  on  tall  stands.  The  abode  of  the  Japanese 
gods,  of  an  Arcadian  simplicity,  consists  of  two  almost 
square  pavilions,  erected  one  behind  the  other  and  con- 
nected by  a  foot  bridge.  Their  roofs,  made  of  little  laths 
which,  strongly  pressed  together  imitate  thatch,  rest  an 
enormous  weight  on  their  polished  column.  The  altar, 
devoid  of  painting  or  gilding,  exposes  to  the  eyes  of  the 
faithful  no  other  emblems  of  the  divinity  than  a  clouded 
mirror  and  some  bamboo  stalks  from  which  zigzags  of 
paper  lacework  fall  symmetrically.  Before  the  altar,  a  bell 
suspended  from  the  edge  of  the  roof  with  swinging  rope 
warns  the  god  that  he  is  wanted  on  earth.  Women  come, 
ring,  bow  their  heads,  clap  their  hands,  mumble  a  short 
prayer  and  go  away.  The  outside  air  and  birds  penetrate 
these  sacred  kiosks  from  every  side,  and  the  surrounding 
gardens  are  dotted  with  lanterns  and  large  tabernacles. 
Several  shells  set  on  granite  columns  and  four  cannons 


ijo  JAPAN 

fixed  at  the  four  corners  of  the  first  pavilion,  trophies  of 
the  last  war,  assume  an  aspect  of  inoffensive  old  rubbish  in 
this  rustic  decoration.  And  under  a  little  wooden  pent- 
house among  the  lanterns,  a  bronze  cow  lying  down  with 
heavy  udders,  notwithstanding  its  relation  with  the  Egyp- 
tian divinities,  had  nothing  imposing  nor  hieratic  in  it,  but 
simply  looked  like  a  good  peaceable  cow  that  was  not  in 
the  least  symbolic. 

Porticos,  lanterns,  pavilions,  sanctuaries,  everything  pre- 
sented to  us  the  image  of  a  religion  without  either  mystery 
or  terror,  passion  or  voluptuousness,  but  one  rudimentary, 
rural,  impregnated  with  ingenuous  naturalism,  capable  of 
contenting  the  warriors  of  ancient  days  as  well  as  labourers 
and  lovers.  I  suspect,  however,  that  beneath  the  simplicity 
of  the  external  worship  there  are  esoteric  secrets,  so  that 
those  sticks  ornamented  with  streamers  and  that  mirror  did 
not  pique  my  curiosity  more  than  some  attributes  of  som- 
nambulism did. 

The  crowd  spread  around  the  temple  and  found  its  cus- 
tomary diversions  there.  Acrobats  were  beating  the  tam- 
bourine in  front  of  a  booth.  Shops  that  sold  cakes  and 
candies,  and  the  little  bazaars  "  at  fixed  prices  "  deafened 
the  customers  with  the  noise  of  bells  and  clappers ;  and 
modern  inventions,  even  science,  recruited  circles  of  gravely 
astonished  loungers.  I  saw  some  with  phonographic  trump- 
ets at  their  ears  but  their  faces  remained  as  imperturbable 
and  their  eyes  as  sad  as  if  they  had  not  heard  anything. 
One  charlatan  had  on  exhibition  on  his  table  a  skull,  two 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  KOBE  171 

skeletons,  anatomical  casts,  the  intestines  of  which  showed 
tumors  painted  in  green,  three  stomachs  containing  tape- 
worms, and  in  the  midst  of  this  horrifying  display  a  pile  of 
pamphlets  and  a  pyramid  of  little  pill-boxes.  He  talked 
with  dizzying  volubility  and  with  his  stick  alternately  struck 
a  stomach  or  a  cast  and  pointed  at  the  body  of  one  of  his 
numerous  auditors.  The  good  people  nodded  their  heads, 
but  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  were  more  impressed  with 
the  eloquence  of  the  speaker  than  convinced  of  the  advan- 
tages of  his  drugs.  A  few  steps  farther  on,  mountebanks 
with  robes  and  sleeves  turned  up  were  juggling  with 
sabres,  those  beautiful  sabres  that  were  the  honour  and 
ferocity  of  Japan,  and  which  these  knaves  had  tamed  to 
the  point  of  interrupting  their  jugglery  to  swallow  them  in 
the  most  natural  way  imaginable. 

And  I  said  to  myself:  "  Is  this  the  eccentric  land  which 
has  been  the  joy  of  lovers  of  oddity  and  whose  porcelain 
has  told  us  such  fabulous  stories  ?  It  was  dinned  into  my 
ears  that  nothing  happened,  here  as  elsewhere,  and  every- 
thing I  see  warns  me  of  my  delusion.  The  men  are  ugly, 
the  women  ridiculously  garbed,  but  their  way  of  amusing 
themselves  does  not  differ  from  ours  in  the  least." 

So,  more  simple  perhaps  in  my  disenchantment  than 
others  in  their  amiable  craze,  I  committed  innocent  sacri- 
lege towards  Japan  ! 


MIYANOSHITA 

SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

ABOUT  fifty  miles  away  from  Yokohama,  along  the 
sea-shore,  and  then  by  a  sharp  turn  into  the  high- 
lands which  are  grouped  around  Fuji-San,  lies 
embosomed  the  lovely  and  salubrious  Japanese  health  re- 
sort, whence  I  am  writing  this.  Fifteen  hundred  feet  above 
the  Pacific  and  the  hot  plains,  we  have  escaped  hither,  for 
a  time,  shunning  the  now  somewhat  sultry  weather  of  the 
capital  and  its  ubiquitous  mosquitoes,  which  are  more 
bloodthirsty  and  importunate  in  Tokio  than  anywhere. 
The  Ka,  bred  in  the  rice-fields  and  ditches  of  Nippon,  is 
truly  a  most  relentless  and  insatiable  little  pest,  against 
which  natives  and  foreigners  equally  defend  themselves 
with  kaya  or  nets  of  green  muslin,  made  either  large  enough 
to  cover  a  European  four-poster,  or  small  enough  to  place 
over  a  sleeping  baby.  At  this  season  of  the  year  you  may 
indeed  see  hundreds  of  tiny  brown  Japanese  infants  sleep- 
ing, stark  naked,  beneath  what  looks  like  a  green  meat-safe, 
where  the  flies  and  mosquitoes  cannot  get  at  them.  Not 
only  the  babies,  moreover,  but  their  fathers,  mothers,  "  sis- 
ters, cousins,  and  aunts,"  and  the  Japanese  world  in 
general,  largely  discard  clothing  as  the  July  heats  come  on  ; 
and,  in  the  country  especially,  one  sees  at  this  time  moreot 

172 


MIYANOSHITA  173 

the  people — in  a  very  literal  sense — than  during  the  cooler 
weather.  One  result  is  to  disclose  the  really  splendid  il- 
lustrations with  which  a  great  many  of  the  men  are  adorned 
by  the  tattooer.  Thejinribi-sba  pullers  in  particular  are  oft- 
times  gorgeously  pictorial  from  nape  to  heel,  and  you  may 
study  for  an  hour  the  volutes,  arabesques,  flowers,  gods, 
dragons,  and  poetical  inscriptions  on  the  back  of  your 
coolie  as  you  bowl  along,  without  exhausting  the  wealth  of 
design  and  colouring  upon  the  saffron  surface  of  his  skin. 
The  journey  hither  from  Yokohama  leads  by  railway 
through  interminable  rice-fields  lying  between  the  hills  and 
the  sea,  all  the  spare  patches  now  "  green  as  grass  "  with 
the  sprouting  roots  of  the  ine.  Last  year  Inare,  the  deity 
of  the  rice  plant  gave  Japan  a  bad  harvest,  and  the  poor  are 
greatly  suffering  in  consequence.  But  this  year  all  looks 
well  for  a  bumper  crop,  and  the  purple  and  silver  of  the 
iris  and  lily-clumps — everywhere  at  present  blossoming — 
fringe  verdant  squares  of  exuberant  promised  plenty,  where 
the  great  dragon-flies  buzz,  and  the  frogs  croak  all  day 
long.  A  run  of  two  hours  brings  you  past  Kamakura,  the 
region  of  the  old  glories  of  the  warlike  house — which  ruled 
Japan  from  1192  A.  D.,  to  the  middle  of  the  Fifteenth  Cen- 
tury— past  Enoshima,  the  ever  beautiful  "  Isle  of  Dragons," 
to  Kodzu,  where  you  take  a  tramcar,  and  bump  through 
the  town  of  Odawara  to  Yumoto  village,  whence  the  ascent 
to  Miyanoshita  commences.  The  ladies  and  the  luggage 
ride  up  the  three  miles  of  hilly  road  in  kuruma  drawn  by 
two  men,  no-nim-biki.  The  gentlemen,  glad  of  a  little 


174  JAPAN 

rural  walk  after  the  hot  streets  of  Tokio,  breast  the  ascent 
on  foot.  We  reach  Miyanoshita  just  as  the  lights  begin  to 
twinkle  in  the  windows  of  the  two  hotels  which  receive  the 
innumerable  visitors  to  this  green  and  pleasant  glen.  A  hot 
spring,  slightly  mineral,  has  created  Miyanoshita,  affording 
perpetual  and  pleasant  bathing ;  and  the  air,  whether  it 
breathes  from  the  sea  below  or  from  the  thickly-wooded 
hills  above,  is  always  fresh  and  pleasant. 

To  inhale  that  air,  and  to  bathe  in  the  soft  waters  heated 
for  you  in  the  subterranean  furnances,  are  the  main  business 
of  life  in  this  hill  village.  The  only  industry  of  the  place, 
apart  from  guides,  tea-houses,  and  waiting  musumes,  is  the 
manufacture  of  all  kinds  of  small  articles  from  the  wood  of 
the  various  timber  trees  growing  on  the  hills  around.  Some  of 
these  are  of  incredible  ingenuity  in  construction  and  neatness 
of  finish,  making  the  most  elaborate  work  of  Tunbridge 
Wells  utterly  commonplace.  Many  of  the  woods  em- 
ployed, such  as  the  camphor,  the  ivy,  the  kaki,  kari  and 
sendan,  are  of  great  beauty,  and  there  seems  to  be  almost 
nothing  that  a  Japan  turner  cannot  produce  from  them.  He 
sells  you,  for  a  few  sen,  a  box  of  ivy-wood  delicately 
grained  and  polished,  containing  a  dozen  lovely  little  sau- 
cers of  the  same  material ;  or  a  lunch-box  which  folds  into 
next  to  nothing  until  you  want  it,  and  then  expands  into  a 
complete  and  handsome  table  service.  Sellers  of  photo- 
graphs are  also  numerous,  and  softly  importunate,  for  the 
Japanese  have  become  very  skilful  with  the  camera. 
When  you  have  purchased  all  the  photographs  and  wooden 


MIYANOSHITA  175 

nicknacks  which  you  desire,  the  next  thing  is  to  organize 
excursions  into  the  wild  and  beautiful  wilderness  of  moun- 
tains everywhere  surrounding  you.  These  must  be  per- 
formed either  on  foot  or  on  chairs  lashed  on  bamboo  poles, 
and  carried  upon  the  shoulders  of  four  of  the  sturdy  hill 
men  of  the  district.  The  paths  are  very  steep  and  narrow, 
and  the  foothold  very  often  merely  the  loose  stones  of  a 
mountain  stream.  Yet  the  sturdy  ninsoku  trudge  along, 
up  hill  and  down  dale,  in  their  sandals  of  rope,  apparently 
insensible  to  fatigue,  or  sufficiently  refreshed  from  time  to 
time  by  a  cup  of  pale  tea  and  a  sugar  biscuit,  and  willingly  ac- 
cepting fifty  sen,  or  about  eighteen  pence,  for  a  tremendous 
day's  work.  With  a  thin  blue  calico  coat,  a  blue  handker- 
chief tied  around  the  close-cropped  head,  and  their  small 
brass  tobacco  pipes  stuck  in  their  girdles,  they  chatter  gaily 
as  they  trot  along  under  the  bamboo  poles,  shifting  these 
every  now  and  then  from  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  a  little 
harmonious  murmur  of  "  Go-issho,"  which  means  "  at  the 
same  honourable  time,"  /'.  ^.,  "  all  together,  boys."  Ar- 
rived at  the  tea-house,  they  patiently  pick  from  their  legs 
the  leeches  which  have  fastened  there  in  the  wet  and  nar- 
row forest  paths,  wipe  the  profuse  perspiration  from  their 
brown  necks,  smoke  a  pipe  or  two,  and  slowly  sip  a  cup  of 
the  "  honourable  hot  tea,"  and  are  then  ready  to  trudge  on 
again  for  another  ri  under  their  heavy  burdens. 

Charming  and  instructive  beyond  description  are  some 
of  the  expeditions  which  may  thus  be  undertaken  from 
Miyanoshita  as  a  centre,  the  hills  containing  all  sorts  of 


176  JAPAN 

natural  wonders,  as  well  as  being  of  wonderful  beauty  in 
regard  of  scenery.  We  made  two  out  of  many  favourite 
explorations  yesterday  and  the  day  before  j  on  the  first  oc- 
casion to  the  mountain  lake  of  Hakone,  on  the  second  to 
no  less  formidably-named  a  spot  than  "  the  Great  Hell  " — 
O  Jigoku.  The  general  character  of  the  country  being 
the  same,  I  will  make  one  description  serve  for  the  impres- 
sions of  the  two  journeys. 

The  Hakone  Mountains  are  for  the  most  part  intensely 
green  in  aspect,  "  darkly,  deeply,  beautifully  green  " — of  a 
green  to  make  an  artist  despair,  it  is  so  magnificently 
monotonous,  and  beyond  imitation  by  the  palette.  This 
results  principally  from  the  long  bamboo  grass  everywhere 
growing  over  the  highland  country,  which,  though  it  rises 
to  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet,  presents  the  appearance 
of  an  unbroken  verdant  mantle  of  herbage  rolling  in  light 
waves  before  the  wind.  The  trees — chiefly  beech,  fir  of 
various  kinds,  and  oak — grow  at  one  time  sparsely,  at 
another  in  extensive  groves,  from  the  jungle  of  the  dwarf 
bamboo ;  intermixed  with  which  are  a  few  inconspicuous 
wild  flowers — white  andromedas  and  spiraes,  yellow  lilies, 
wild  hydrangea,  dog  roses,  and  the  Canterbury  bell. 
Little  or  no  animal  life  is  to  be  seen ;  the  cover  seems  too 
dense  for  four-footed  creatures,  but  on  the  less-wooded 
mountains  the  fox  and  badger  exist,  and  there  are  deer, 
wild  boar,  and  monkeys  of  a  single  species,  to  be  found 
not  far  ofF.  A  lark — almost  exactly  identical  with  the 
English  species — sings  the  familiar  carol  as  we  pass,  and 


MIYANOSHITA  177 

an  oriole,  which  flutes  very  sweetly,  is  seen  and  heard ; 
but  the  general  silence  of  the  mountains  is  remarkable  and 
almost  unbroken,  except  by  the  noise  of  streams  every- 
where descending.  Some  of  these  smoke  in  the  cool  hill- 
side air,  and  discolour  the  stones  with  sulphurous  or 
mineral  deposits,  notably  at  Ko-ji-go-ku,  near  to  Ashi- 
no-yu,  where  some  of  us  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  hot  sulphur 
baths,  and  found  them  immensely  refreshing  in  the  middle 
of  a  long  walk.  The  central  spot,  however,  for  witnessing 
this  kind  of  phenomenon  is  at  the  "Great  Hell"  itself, 
near  to  the  pass  of  O  Tomi  Toge,  from  which  a  glorious 
view  is  obtained  of  the  ever  wonderful  Fuji-San.  There 
was  nothing  to  indicate  that  we  were  approaching  a  spot  to 
justify  the  name  given  to  this  place,  except  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance of  many  large  dead  trees,  which  had  been  killed 
by  the  fatal  breath  emanating  from  the  solfataras  near. 
The  hillside  at  large  spreads  on  either  hand  as  fair  and 
green  as  before,  with  waving  bamboo  grass  and  silvery 
flowers  of  the  deutzia^  and  white  bells  of  the  Japan 
anemone.  The  earliest  intimation  was  by  the  nostrils, 
which  become  abruptly  aware  of  odours  distinctly  infernal ; 
and  on  reaching  a  solitary  farmhouse  you  come  in  sight  of 
a  torrent,  running  over  black  and  speckled  rocks,  on  a  bed 
yellow  as  the  rind  of  an  orange.  The  ladies  must  now 
leave  their  chairs  and  toil  by  a  steep  ascent  round  a 
shoulder  of  the  valley,  from  which  issues  this  Japanese 
Styx ;  and  by  a  perilous  and  broken  path,  winding  now 
through  the  thickets,  now  along  the  brink  of  a  crumbling 


178  JAPAN 

precipice,  we  come  suddenly  in  sight  of  a  gully,  destitute 
of  every  shred  of  vegetation,  and  hideous  with  all  the 
Cocytian  colours  associated  with  flame  and  smoke,  death 
and  desolation,  ruin  and  ravage.  It  is  a  corner  of  the 
world  abandoned  to  despair — a  mountain  hearth  on  fire — 
which  one  beholds;  a  nook  of  nature  whence  everything 
lovely  and  living  has  been  banished  to  give  vent  to  the 
secret  forces  of  the  under  world.  The  earth  all  around  is 
poisoned  and  parti-coloured  with  livid  blotches  and 
gangrenes ;  the  rocks  are  crusted  with  a  leprous  tetter ; 
pimples  and  ulcers  of  purple  and  black  and  yellow  break 
out  from  the  level  spaces.  Some  of  these  are  alive  with 
an  evil  activity,  and  hiss  and  fume  and  bubble,  emitting  jets 
of  fat  yellow  and  green  smoke,  with  now  and  then  a 
crackling  noise  when  the  crust  sinks  in,  to  open  by  and  by 
at  another  black  and  yellow  gash  in  the  diseased  ground. 
It  is  not  safe  even  to  stand  near  the  melancholy  amphi- 
theatre where  reek  these  caldrons  of  Acheron.  To  pass 
along  the  black  edge  of  the  stream  itself  and  into  this  ghastly 
corry  would  be  rash  in  the  extreme,  for  no  one  knows 
where  the  surface  may  not  yield,  and  suddenly  plunge  the 
foot  or  limb  into  a  bath  of  boiling  sulphur.  A  lady  of  our 
acquaintance  was  severely  burned  here  some  time  ago,  and 
a  Russian  officer  lost  his  life  in  the  treacherous  morass  of 
flame. 

I  am  requested  by  an  amiable  and  charming  young  lady 
of  our  party  to  inscribe  upon  her  bamboo  stafF  the  Japanese 
name  of  the  place — which  she  will  certainly  never  visit 


MIYANOSHITA  179 

again — together  with  some  suitable  record.  Sitting  out  of 
reach  of  the  winds  from  Hades,  under  a  great  cryptomeria, 
blasted  by  its  neighbourhood,  I  carve  on  the  Japanese 
alpenstock  a  verse  which  she  means  to  preserve : — 

"  Staff,  which  to  O  Jigoku  went, 

Good  news  to  Sinners  tell ; 

Demons  may  climb  to  Paradise, 

Now  angels  walk  to  Hell." 

And  yet,  just  over  the  ridge,  spreads  a  scene  as  beautiful  as 
that  just  quitted  is  forbidding.  On  the  slopes  of  the  O 
Tomi  Pass  box-trees  and  the  milky-blossomed  asemi,  with 
the  pines  and  bamboos,  the  azaleas  and  lilies,  make  the 
mountain  fair  and  glad  again  ;  and  Fuji-San  is  seen  tower- 
ing up  in  perfect  beauty  at  the  end  of  a  vast  valley.  The 
snow  is  almost  gone  from  the  Lady  of  Mountains.  Just 
here  and  there  are  visible,  if  I  might  quote  my  own  new 
poem,  the  "  Light  of  the  World  "  : — 

"  Dark  hollows  where  sad  winter  hides  away 
From  summer,  with  the  snow  still  in  her  lap." 

By  another  path  the  matchless  mount  may  be  seen  looking 
down  upon  the  deep  waters  of  Hakone — a  great  lake  of 
unknown  depth,  and  perpetual  coldness,  lying  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea.  Hakone  Lake  has  for  its  Japanese 
name  Toshi-no-Midzu-Umi,  or  the  "water  of  the  reeds," 
and  is  a  very  beautiful  highland  sea,  the  abode,  it  is  said,  of 
supernatural  beings,  till  a  Buddhist  priest  penetrated  these 


i8o  JAPAN 

recesses  and  gave  to  the  world  knowledge  and  possession 
of  lovely  and  cool  Hakone.  We  drink  to  the  pious 
memory  of  Mangwan  Shonin  as  we  sit  in  the  upper  gallery 
of  the  tea-house  looking  over  the  rolling  blue  wavelets  of 
the  lake.  Close  by  Japanese  woodmen  are  cutting  fir-trees 
into  thin  boards,  to  make  ori,  the  boxes  in  which  sweet- 
meats and  cakes  are  presented.  We  return  in  drenching 
rain,  but  well  rewarded  for  this  and  for  all  our  exertions  by 
the  splendid  scenery  and  the  countless  objects  of  interest 
on  the  road.  Perhaps  it  would  not  have  rained  if  we  had 
remembered  to  put  some  stones  in  the  lap  of  the  great  rock 
image  of  Jizo,  whom  we  passed  in  accomplishing  the 
ascent.  He  is  the  god  of  travellers  and  the  protector  of 
children,  and  the  correct  thing  is  to  pay  him  the  little  at- 
tention alluded  to.  As  we  wend  homewards  through  the 
picturesque  village  of  Kiga,  we  stop  to  look  again  at  the 
wonderful  fish  in  the  gardens  of  a  tea-house  near  at  hand. 
Swimming  about  in  a  pool  under  a  little  waterfall  there  are 
exhibited  some  hundreds  of  variegated  carp — the  Japanese 
Koi — which  are  of  every  imaginable  brilliancy  of  colour — 
purple,  russet,  citron,  saffron,  orange,  rose-red,  gold  and 
silver.  They  are  tamer  than  any  pigeons,  and  come  vo- 
raciously to  the  bank  to  be  fed,  scrambling  for  slices  of 
bean-cake,  and  putting  their  gold  and  brown  noses  high  out 
of  the  water  in  their  struggles  to  secure  the  morsel.  When 
a  piece  of  cake  falls  on  the  dry  rock,  near  the  water,  they 
try  to  throw  themselves  on  shore,  and  even  use  their  fins 
for  legs  in  their  eagerness  to  obtain  the  prize.  The  fish 


MIYANOSHITA  181 

in  the  opening  story  of  the  Arabian  Nights,  who  were 
coloured  blue,  yellow,  white,  and  red,  and  who  talked  in 
the  frying-pan,  could  not  have  been  more  marvellous  in 
hue,  and  certainly  not  more  intelligent. 


IN  THE  JAPANESE  MOUNTAINS 

SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

JAPAN  is  a  land  of  mountains,  and  the  Japanese  pas- 
sionately admire,  and  vastly  delight  in  the  beautiful 
highlands  which  diversify  their  Empire.  Twelve- 
thirteenths  of  its  surface  are  indeed  totally  withdrawn  from 
cultivation,  either  by  the  broken  character  of  the  country, 
or  the  prevalence  on  the  uplands  and  ranges  of  dense  un- 
dergrowth of  bamboo-grass  and  wild  thicket,  which  nothing 
can  clear  away.  Except  in  small  patches,  therefore,  where 
circumstances  are  favourable  to  an  energetic  agriculture, 
the  Japanese  regard  and  employ  their  mountains  chiefly  as 
delights  to  the  eye  and  pleasant  refuges  from  the  sultry 
weather  which  is  now  bathing  the  plains  in  a  burning,  op- 
pressive atmosphere.  The  sea  coasts  at  this  season  are  as 
hot  as  the  inland  plains,  or  hotter,  and  there  is  thus  an  al- 
most universal  exodus  of  people  from  the  cities,  towns,  and 
villages  to  the  innumerable  places  of  retreat  perched  amid 
the  green  and  lovely  hills  of  Nippon.  The  fashion  among 
the  middle  and  lower  classes  of  the  people  is  to  go  as  pil- 
grims. Dressed  in  white  haori^  white  drawers,  and  white 
leggings — that  colour  betokening  penitence  for  past  sins, 
and  a  resolution,  more  or  less  earnest,  to  turn  over  a  new 
leaf  of  the  book  of  life — the  citizen  starts  forth  with  a 

182 


IN  THE  JAPANESE  MOUNTAINS  183 

coloured  flag,  a  staff,  a  small  satchel,  and  a  straw  hat, 
marked  with  the  symbol  of  his  sect,  for  some  favoured  spot, 
high  among  the  hills,  where  he  can  unite  a  little  devotion 
with  a  great  deal  of  pure,  cool  air,  delightful  scenery,  and 
constant  bathing.  He  needs  not  to  carry,  and  he  does  not 
carry,  any  luggage.  His  bare  feet  want  no  newly-washed 
tabi.  At  every  yadoya  he  will  be  supplied  with  a  clean 
kimono  for  his  bath  and  dinner,  with  futons  to  sleep  upon, 
and  with  the  simple  food,  supplemented  by  the  eternal 
gozen  (the  tub  of  boiled  rice),  which  is  all  he  needs,  for  an 
extremely  small  sum  per  diem.  Europeans  are  naturally, 
and  not  improperly,  overcharged  at  such  resorts,  since  they 
prove  ofttimes  difficult  guests  ;  but  we — a  party  of  six — 
have  lately  paid  a  bill  at  the  native  inn  of  this  place  for  four 
days'  board  and  lodging,  together  with  washing  and  plenty 
of  fresh  milk,  which  did  but  amount  to  eleven  yen,  or 
about  thirty-four  shillings.  With  such  cheap  and  pleasant 
arrangements  everywhere  existing,  the  Japanese  people 
move  about  their  beautiful  land  in  great  numbers  during 
the  summer  and  early  autumn,  mostly  on  foot.  They  are 
in  truth  a  nation  of  pedestrians,  at  least  as  regards  the 
lower  classes,  and  shuffle  along  with  their  wooden  clogs  or 
grass  sandals  over  an  astonishing  deal  of  ground.  Many 
railway  lines  run  along  the  coasts  or  through  the  lowlands, 
carrying  passengers  easily  and  quickly,  if  not  with  very 
great  comfort,  in  the  crowded  third-class  carriages,  to  the 
foot  of  many  a  splendid  range  of  mountains.  Then  it  is 
but  to  mount  with  a  stout  step  to  some  village  nestled 


184  JAPAN 

three  or  four  thousand  feet  above  the  rice-fields,  where  heat 
and  mosquitoes  are  left  behind,  and  the  boundless  verdure 
of  the  rolling  hills,  rich  with  a  hundred  flowers,  restores 
mind  and  body. 

Above  all,  your  Japanese  loves  those  spots  in  the  moun- 
tains where  a  hot  spring  issues  from  the  rocks  and  can  be 
utilized  for  baths  more  or  less  medicinal.  Ikao,  whither 
we  have  lately  repaired,  is  a  good  specimen  of  such  a  place. 
From  a  lovely  glen  in  the  cleft  of  a  ridge  there  issues  here 
a  thin  but  strong  stream  of  warm  water,  so  impregnated 
with  sulphites  of  iron  and  soda  that  it  colours  all  its  chan- 
nel a  bright  golden-yellow,  as  it  bubbles  and  smokes  down- 
ward to  lose  itself  in  the  larger  torrents.  Such  a  gift  from 
the  subterranean  world — and  such  gifts  abound — almost 
always  creates  in  Japan  a  town  or  village  for  its  due  enjoy- 
ment. Ikao  climbs  up  the  mountain  along  side  its  precious 
rillet  of  the  "  O  Yu  "  in  a  street  of  stone  stairs  more  pre- 
cipitous and  picturesque  than  any  in  Malta;  and  all  the 
inns  and  most  of  the  houses  lead  a  private  trickle  of  the 
hot  spring  through  bamboo  pipes  into  a  bath-house,  where, 
three  or  four  times  a  day,  visitors  or  residents  sit  up  to  their 
necks  in  the  soft  embrace  of  the  liquid  heated  for  them  in 
the  underground  furnaces  of  our  Planet.  There  is  much 
simplicity  and  very  little  concealment  about  the  system  of 
these  Japanese  spas.  The  business  of  the  place  is  to 
bathe,  and,  with  or  without  garments,  everybody  is  always 
bathing,  as  always  the  golden  water  is  bubbling  down  from 
the  dark  rocks  which  are  overshadowed  with  all  kinds  of 


IN  THE  JAPANESE  MOUNTAINS  185 

strange  trees,  and  clad  with  ferns,  squills,  wild  clematis,  and 
the  Canterbury  bell,  called  here  "  chochin  no  bana"  the 
lantern-flower. 

Our  party  of  six,  including  the  two  Japanese  ladies, 
mounted  to  Ikao  by  a  long  string  ofjinriti-shas,  each  drawn 
by  two  men.  The  ascent  occupies  four  hours,  and  the  ku- 
rumayas  stop  twice  or  thrice  to  refresh.  Sharply  the  little 
vehicles  wheel  around  at  the  front  of  the  cbaya  ,•  the  mu- 
sumes  raise  a  chorus  of  irrasbais  ;  the  travellers  dismount  and 
sip  tea  or  barley-water ;  the  riti-sha-men  wring  the  perspi- 
ration from  their  headcloths  and  coats,  wash  down  their  tat- 
tooed bodies  with  cold  water,  rinse  out  their  mouths,  eat  a 
bowl  of  rice  soaked  with  hot  tea,  and  are  ready  again  for  a 
long  spell  of  uphill  work.  In  the  heart  of  the  hills  kurumas 
cannot  pass,  and  you  must  tramp  afoot  to  the  many  lovely 
spots  of  interest,  or  ride  in  the  kago,  a  contrivance  of  luxu- 
rious ease  for  the  native,  but  of  swiftly-increasing  torture 
to  the  foreigner.  It  is  like  the  lid  of  a  big  basket  suspended 
on  a  stout  bamboo,  and  you  must  sit  on  your  feet,  or  cross 
them  against  the  slings  of  the  kago — either  position  speedily 
resolving  itself  for  the  inexperienced  into  something  be- 
tween paralysis  and  the  rack.  For  the  most  part,  there- 
fore, during  the  many  and  delightful  excursions  made  from 
Ikao  as  a  centre  our  kagos  followed  us  empty,  for  even  our 
fair  Japanese  companions  proved  excellent  pedestrians,  and 
tripped  and  glittered  through  the  winding  woods  and  over 
the  wild  moorlands,  clad  every  day  in  some  new  and  bright 
kimono^  which  made  them  look  like  butterflies  or  birds. 


186  JAPAN 

Thus,  taking  each  day  our  ample  tiffin  to  enjoy  in  some 
lovely  sylvan  recess,  some  ancient  temple,  or  by  the  music  and 
coolness  of  some  lovely  cascade,  we  visited  Benten-no-taki, 
the  waterfall  of  the  Goddess  of  Mercy  ;  Kompira  Yama, 
the  Hill  of  the  Gods,  whence  half  Japan  seemed  to  stretch 
out,  green  and  tranquil,  at  our  happy  feet;  Mizu-sawa, 
where  we  lunched  at  the  foot  of  the  altar  of  Buddha,  under 
carvings  of  scarlet  and  gold,  and  diapered  ceilings,  and  tall 
black  waving  cryptomerias,  in  a  spot  so  solemn  and  beautiful 
that  the  gods  might  have  joined  our  repast ;  Yumoto,  the 
Glen  of  the  Spring,  greener  and  more  gloriously  decked 
with  ferns  and  wild  flowers  than  any  Devonshire  or  Scot- 
tish coombe  or  corrie ;  and,  best  and  most  beautiful  of 
all,  Haruna,  the  "  Village  of  the  God,"  hard  to  be 
reached,  but  worth  all  the  fatigue  of  a  long  and  steep 
tramp. 

One  of  the  very  fairest  spots  I  have  seen  on  this  earth 
lies  midway  between  Ikao  and  Haruna.  It  is  a  wooded 
ridge,  commanding  on  either  side  a  view  of  vast  expanse 
and  supreme  beauty.  To  the  left,  opens  the  verdant  Ha- 
runa vale,  the  narrow  path  winding  down  into  a  wilderness 
of  dark  majestic  forests,  flowery  hill-sides,  fantastic  rocks, 
and  foaming  torrents  ;  to  the  right,  a  lovely  lake  sleeps  in  the 
green  basin  which  was  once  a  crater,  surrounded  by  hills  of 
wild  and  wonderful  shapes,  and  moorlands  painted  with 
stretches  of  white,  and  red,  and  yellow  blossoms,  and  patches 
of  black,  and  purple,  and  saffron  soil.  The  profusion  of  lilies 
growing  on  these  level  spaces  was  truly  astonishing.  We 


IN  THE  JAPANESE  MOUNTAINS  187 

plunged  through  the  bamboo-grass  and  reeds,  gathering  in- 
discriminately the  blood-red  tiger  lily,  the  white  lily,  the 
crown  imperial,  the  golden  lily — peculiar  to  Japan — and 
now  and  again  superb  sticks  of  the  Lilium  auratum,  the 
great  cream-coloured  bloom,  spangled  with  gold,  and  silver, 
and  purple,  the  fragrance  of  which  is  as  delicious  as  its 
grace  of  shape  and  hue  is  perfect.  Our  ladies  came 
down  the  last  of  the  hills  homeward  bearing  not  merely 
bouquets,  but  sheaves  of  the  floral  plunder.  It  was  like  a 
procession  from  a  picture  of  Cimabue,  Giotto,  or  Fra  An- 
gelico ;  and  I  think  if  their  descended  angels  had  to  choose 
an  earthly  dress,  the  bright  and  graceful  kimono  and  obi  of  O 
Fuku  San  and  O  Yoshi  San  would  have  surely  appeared  as 
near  to  the  charm  of  a  Celestial  toilette  as  earthly  fabrics 
and  fashions  can  well  go !  And,  after  such  a  long,  hard 
tramp  over  the  mountains,  who  can  exaggerate  the  delights 
of  the  Japanese  bath  ?  It  is  the  first  thing  we  all  think  of, 
and  say,  O  Yu  ni  iketai — "  I  wish  to  go  into  the  honourable 
hot  water !  "  Discarding  all  garments  but  the  loose,  com- 
fortable kimono,  and  even  forgetting  to  inquire  if  dinner 
be  ready,  we  troop  down  to  the  bathing-house.  There  a 
row  of  little  chambers  contain  each  an  oblong  tank,  level 
with  the  sloping  floor,  into  which,  through  bamboo  pipes, 
the  hot  mineral  stream  jets.  Its  temperature  is  about  no 
degrees,  but  you  may  modify  this  with  buckets  of  cold 
water,  placed  at  hand.  The  soft  caress  of  the  subterranean 
lymph  seems  in  a  moment  to  dissipate  all  bodily  fatigue. 
Up  to  your  chin  in  the  subtly-medicated  tide,  you  meditate 


i88  JAPAN 

placidly  on  the  adventures  of  the  day,  the  varied  pictures  of 
the  hills,  the  moorland  gilded  with  the  yellow  lilies,  the 
chatter  of  the  walk,  half  English,  half  Japanese.  It  is  use- 
less to  dress  in  the  hot  little  furo-do.  Every  pore  of  the 
body  is  open,  and  towels  are  of  no  avail.  Wrapped  again 
in  the  kimono,  you  emerge  into  the  open  air,  without  the 
smallest  fear  of  catching  cold,  and  wonder  no  longer  that 
the  whole  place  exists  solely  for  the  joy  of  dabbling  perpetu- 
ally in  the  delicious  volcanic  rivulet. 

The  drawback  of  these  delectable  Japanese  mountains  is 
their  lack  of  animal  life.  Hardly  a  bird  or  beast  will  be 
seen  or  heard,  and  nature  appears  depopulated.  Upon  all 
the  long  walk  to  and  from  Haruna  I  did  but  see,  apart  from 
the  crows  and  high-flying  birds,  one  brown  snake  and  one 
lark.  One  hears  occasionally  the  uguisu,  called  by  flattery 
the  "Japan  nightingale" — known  to  science  as  the  Cettria 
cantons — but  its  notes,  though  sweet,  are  not  sustained. 
There  are  bears,  foxes,  badgers,  and  even  deer  in  the  Ha- 
runa jungles,  and  in  by-gone  days  there  were  plenty  of 
monkeys,  but  none  are  seen  now.  Possibly  the  dense 
clothing  of  the  hills,  which  are  swathed  from  base  to  sum- 
mit in  tussock  grass  and  dwarf  bamboo,  forbids  the 
prevalence  of  small  life.  On  the  other  hand,  butterflies  are 
numerous  and  splendid,  a  great  black  species,  large  as  a  bat, 
with  bronze  and  green  reflections,  an  amber  and  gold  va- 
riety, a  saffron  and  red,  a  green  and  gold  swallow-tail,  an 
abundance  of  brimstones,  peacocks,  purple  Emperors,  and 
red  Admirals.  But,  as  a  rule,  these  fair  vistas  are  desolate 


IN  THE  JAPANESE  MOUNTAINS   189 

of  that  wild  life  which  adds  so  much  to  the  charm  of  other 
Highlands. 

From  Ikao  we  descended  the  mountain  slopes  in  a  long 
line  of  jinriki-shas,  the  men  stripping  to  the  hot  work,  and 
disclosing  wonderful  patterns  of  blue  and  red  tattooing  upon 
their  brown,  perspiring  bodies.  All  along  the  foot  of  these 
hills  lies  the  region  of  silk.  Every  field  is  full  of  dwarf 
mulberry-trees,  and  every  cottage  hums  with  the  silk  wind- 
ing wheel,  while  piles  of  white  cocoons  are  spread  out  in 
the  sun  to  dry.  Next  to  the  rice  the  silk  crop  of  Japan  is 
of  chief  importance,  and  it  was  curious  to  reflect  how  the 
fine  threads  which  the  country  mother  was  winding,  her 
baby  at  her  breast,  and  her  pipe  in  her  mouth,  would  glisten 
and  "frou  frou  "  in  Paris  or  London,  or  New  York — the 
robe  of  some  proud  beauty  who  never  heard  of  Ikao  or  Id- 
zuka.  On  the  road  I  saw  the  loveliest  lily  ever  beheld — 
large  blossoms  of  the  purest  rose-colour,  with  white  and 
crimson  spangles  on  each  petal.  The  lotus  was  also  flow- 
ering in  many  places,  being  cultivated  for  food,  its  blossom 
very  stately  in  size  and  shape,  and  of  pure  white  or  pink. 
At  Idzuka  the  train  receives  us,  and  carries  us  round  the 
range  as  far  as  Yokogawa,  whence  we  ascend  the  mountains 
again  to  Karuizawa,  nearly  4,000  feet  above  the  hot  and 
steaming  plains.  This  station,  very  popular  in  the  summer 
with  foreigners  and  Japanese  alike,  sits  high  in  the  clouds 
upon  a  curious  table-land,  surrounded  by  picturesque  hills. 
One  crag,  called  the  Cathedral  Rock,  really  resembles  very 
closely  the  Cathedral  of  Durham,  and  near  it  rises  Asama 


JAPAN 

Yama,  with  steep  red  sides  and  smoking  apex — a  still  active 
volcano,  and  one  which  everybody  ascends.  The  signs  of 
its  activity  are  everywhere ;  all  the  ground  is  covered  with 
pumice  and  ash,  and  if  a  cutting  be  made  you  can  see  how, 
at  intervals  measured  by  centuries,  the  "  Hill  of  the  Morning 
Fires  "  has  covered  all  the  region  with  black  death  and  des- 
olation, over  which  Nature  and  Time  have  slowly  spread  a 
growing  mantle  of  life  and  verdure,  to  be  again  and  again 
obliterated  by  an  eruption.  A  delightful  excursion  made 
here  on  foot  was  to  Kosei,  the  glen  in  the  hills  where  a  thin 
sulphuretted  stream  issues  from  the  dark  crags.  There  was  a 
bathing-house  and  little  yadoya  there,  but  too  remote  to  be 
prosperous,  and  the  aruji,  the  proprietor,  offered  us  the 
whole  establishment  at  a  low  price.  The  hill-sides  were 
covered  with  wild  raspberries  of  a  delicate  flavour,  and  blue 
and  white  with  the  campanula  and  clematis.  We  came 
down  again  to  the  railway,  and  so  to  Tokio,  in  heavy  rain, 
and  by  a  bad  and  broken  road. 


ENA-SAN  AND  MISAKATOGE 

NOEL  BUXTON 

I  NEED  hardly  remark  that  Japan  is  a  volcanic  coun- 
try, with  a  backbone  of  mountains  rising,  in  the  case 
of  the  famous  Fuji,  to  over  12,000  feet.  There  are 
no  glaciers,  but  snow  falls  on  the  western  side  so  as  to 
smother  whole  villages,  and  lies  even  in  summer  sometimes 
as  low  as  7,000  feet.  Several  volcanoes  are  active,  and 
hot  mineral  springs  are  frequent,  often  attracting  crowds  of 
sufferers  by  their  medicinal  properties.  High  up  alpine 
plants  abound,  and  lower  down  are  masses  of  lily  and  iris. 
The  forests  below  are  of  cypress,  maple,  and  various  firs, 
while  mulberries  are  grown  for  silk  in  the  valleys.  There 
are  deer  and  bears,  badgers  and  eagles  in  the  forests,  and 
trout  in  the  streams.  Population  spreads  even  to  the  very 
inaccessible  parts,  and  the  highest  peaks  can  be  climbed 
without  getting  very  far  from  native  society.  Things  are 
much  as  they  have  been  for  many  centuries  past;  and 
among  country  people  the  traveller  may  find  strange  cus- 
toms and  beliefs,  such  as  the  idea  that  foxes  and  badgers 
can  "  possess  "  human  beings,  and  be  driven  out  by  exor- 
cism. 

It  was  the   8th  of  May   when,  with    the   Rev.  Walter 
Weston,  F.  R.  G.  S.,  Mr.  H.  O'Rorke,  and  a  Japanese 

191 


192  JAPAN 

servant,  I   left  the   railway  station   of  Kioto,  the   ancient 
capital. 

A  few  hours  brought  us  to  Gifu,  a  town  which  suffered 
terribly  in  the  earthquake  of  1891,  most  of  the  houses  be- 
ing destroyed.  Immediately  on  leaving  the  railway,  we 
had  to  dispute  with  the  police  as  to  whether  our  passports 
provided  for  travel  in  the  particular  province  we  wished  to 
visit.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  at  last  the  police  are  pacified, 
jinriki-shas  and  coolies  engaged,  and  we  speed  along  the 
Nakasendo,  the  great  mountain  road  from  Tokio  to  the 
west.  We  pass  through  a  forest  of  scattered  pines,  with 
grass  below  full  of  short  pink  azaleas  growing  as  thick  as 
blue  bells  or  primroses  in  an  English  wood.  Like  level 
clouds  of  sunset  colour  they  lie  in  broad  stretches  beneath 
the  dark  green.  At  night,  we  reach  the  village  of  Ota, 
and  here  I  must  not  omit  a  few  words  on  that  invaluable 
institution,  the  yadoya,  or  village  inn.  Its  wide-eaved  ve- 
randa abuts  on  the  village  street,  from  which  the  rooms 
within  are  visible.  Leaving  our  shoes  at  the  entrance,  we 
mount  the  raised  or  matted  floor,  and  meet  the  host  and 
hostess,  who  prostrate  themselves  on  all  fours,  touching 
the  ground  with  their  foreheads  between  each  remark. 
The  host  entreats,  "  Honourably  deign  to  accept  the  use  of 
my  dirty  apartments,"  and  then  ushers  us  into  a  scrupu- 
lously clean  guest  room,  looking  on  to  the  back  garden,  a 
paradise  of  miniature  landscapes.  The  room  is  innocent 
of  the  smallest  attempt  at  furniture,  but  the  advent  of  a 
foreigner  and  his  luggage  soon  litters  it  with  confusion. 


ENA-SAN  AND  MISAKATOGE       193 

It  is  the  privilege  of  the  first  arrived  traveller  to  take  first 
turn  at  the  hot  bath,  without  which  no  evening  would  be 
complete.  It  is  a  wooden  vessel  some  three  feet  square, 
with  a  stove  underneath,  placed  at  the  back  of  the  house 
next  the  yard  or  garden,  and  surrounded  by  paper  screens. 
The  village  idlers  will  probably  be  gathered  to  view  the 
stranger  in  his  bath ;  and  even  if  the  screen  should  be  un- 
broken, he  will  soon  be  aroused  from  fancied  security  by  a 
shuffling  outside  the  screens,  then  by  the  appearance  of  a 
finger  through  the  paper,  and  finally  of  an  eye  applied  to 
the  hole.  He  will  soon  realize  the  notions  of  the  country 
and  cease  to  be  annoyed. 

After  the  bath  comes  the  hostess,  bringing  dainty  bowls 
of  soup,  fish,  eggs  and  rice,  with  chopsticks  in  a  hand- 
painted  envelope.  These  are  supplemented  with  advan- 
tage by  viands  brought  with  us,  and  (not  least  important),  a 
knife  and  spoon.  After  dinner  the  leading  villagers  will 
probably  drop  in  for  a  chat  with  the  hairy  barbarians,  and 
music  (of  a  kind)  may  be  had  for  the  asking.  When  bed- 
time comes,  quilts  are  piled  on  the  floor,  another  rolled  up 
makes  a  pillow,  and  nothing  is  lacking  to  make  a  comfor- 
table night. 

After  some  hours  of  alpine  scenery,  with  snow-clad  peaks 
and  chalet-like  houses,  whose  roofs  were  weighted  with 
heavy  stones  to  secure  them  against  wind  and  snow,  we 
reached  our  goal,  the  village  of  Nakatsugawa,  from  which 
it  appeared  that  a  certain  peak  could  be  climbed,  never  trod- 
den yet  by  European  foot. 


194  JAPAN 

The  garden  of  our  inn,  about  eight  yards  square,  afforded 
a  landscape  containing  trees  and  shrubs,  miniature  hills, 
and  streams,  a  waterfall,  a  lake  with  fish,  a  water-wheel, 
and  rustic  paths.  Looking  on  to  this  charming  prospect 
with  a  veranda  between,  was  the  room  allotted  to  us. 
Beauty  and  interest  are  never  failing  in  these  country 
hostelries. 

The  ascent  of  Ena-san,  at  whose  base  lies  Nakatsugawa, 
had  not  yet  been  made  by  Europeans,  and  was  now  under- 
taken by  my  companion  at  the  request  of  Professor  Cham- 
berlain, with  a  view  to  the  next  edition  of  "  Murray's 
Guide-book."  Hence  my  good  fortune  in  sharing  the 
honours. 

After  a  wet  day,  during  which  we  picked  up  information 
about  the  mountain,  next  morning  saw  us  on  the  move  at 
six  o'clock.  Leaving  the  village  and  crossing  the  rice- 
fields  that  surround  it,  we  found  a  cloudless  sky  to  greet 
us,  and  such  a  faultless  day  as  so  often  in  Japan  rewards 
the  traveller  for  his  patience  during  a  wet  one.  Near  the 
mountain's  foot  we  passed  the  Enajinsba^  or  shrine  of  the 
mountain  Ena-san.  Here  live  the  guardian  priests,  but  the 
season  for  pilgrims  was  not  yet,  and  no  help  is  given  to 
climbers  till  the  summer,  when  the  snow  is  melted  and  the 
mountain  is  formerly  thrown  open.  So  we  were  lucky  to 
pick  up  a  coolie  who  had  been  up  Ena-san,  and  could  help 
to  carry  our  things.  These  were  heavy,  for  we  were  pre- 
pared to  camp  out.  Soon  the  ridge  became  so  steep  that 
we  ascended  1,100  feet  in  half  an  hour,  and  were  4,000 


ENA-SAN  AND  MISAKATOGE       195 

feet  above  the  sea.  A  break  in  the  trees  affords  a  view  of 
steep  well-wooded  slopes  falling  down  to  a  noisy  torrent, 
while  in  front  rose  the  main  mass  of  the  peak,  with  streaks 
of  snow  in  the  gullies  or  showing  through  the  dark  trees 
near  the  summit,  and  over  the  shoulder  appeared  far  away 
the  snow-clad  cone  of  a  giant  mountain.  The  nearer 
charms  of  large  white  azaleas,  growing  under  the  trees, 
with  dwarf  bamboo  around  them,  the  roaring  of  torrents 
and  the  soft  cooing  of  doves  combined  with  the  distant 
view  to  produce  a  charm  not  soon  forgotten ;  at  this  dis- 
tance of  time  we  need  not  remember  the  painful  labours  of 
the  ascent,  during  which  the  charm  undoubtedly  was  for- 
gotten. 

At  5,500  feet  we  reached  snow,  and  were  soon  plunging 
up  to  the  knees,  with  many  a  deeper  fall,  for  we  were 
walking  on  a  level  with  the  branches  of  the  pine-trees, 
whose  lower  stems  were  buried,  and  the  snow  was  getting 
soft  with  spring  sunshine.  At  last  the  summit,  7,350  feet 
high,  was  reached,  and  we  found  a  glorious  reward  for  the 
six  hours'  climb.  The  great  ranges  and  mountains  stood 
round  us  to  the  north  from  west  to  east,  still  wearing  their 
snowy  robes  unspoilt  by  summer  heat.  There  were  Haku- 
san,  Yarigatake  (the  spear  peak),  the  smoking  Asamayama, 
the  Shiranesan  range,  and  others  to  the  due  east,  over  which 
peeped  the  flattened  cone  of  Fuji  herself,  sixty  miles  away. 
To  the  south  was  a  softer  expanse  of  lower  wooded  hills, 
among  which  could  be  traced  two  of  the  greatest  rivers  in 
Japan,  forcing  their  way  through  narrow  gorges,  here  di- 


196  JAPAN 

vided  only  by  a  single  range,  but  destined  to  reach  the 
Pacific  eighty  miles  apart.  They  looked  like  silver  threads 
below,  so  high  above  were  we. 

Most  enchanting  was  the  prospect,  and  it  was  long  be- 
fore we  could  bring  our  attention  to  the  nearer  attractions  of 
a  pilgrim's  shrine,  in  which  the  ways  and  thoughts  of  men 
display  a  more  interesting,  if  less  beautiful,  field  of  study. 
It  is  a  wooden  structure,  with  small  images  covered  by  an 
open  roof.  In  front  of  the  images  is  a  table  or  altar,  on 
which  lie  several  coins,  and  some  knives  offered  by  crimi- 
nals who  have  used  them  in  a  way  which  needs  expiation. 
Pilgrimages  and  offerings  are  the  favourite  form  in  which  the 
penitent  seeks  forgiveness  and  purity.  The  coins  had  been 
lying  there  all  the  winter,  so  be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  the 
priests,  who  might  have  appropriated  them  months 
ago. 

Strange  superstitions  linger  in  these  distant  spots.  On 
many  mountains  these  shrines  are  held  specially  sacred,  and 
Ontakegan  is  the  scene  of  weird  incantations,  exorcisms 
of  evil  spirits  and  ceremonies  which  are  practically  "  con- 
sulting the  oracle,"  when  the  medium,  having  thrown  him- 
self into  a  trance,  obtains  answer  from  the  spirit  of  the 
mountain  to  any  question  which  the  pilgrims  wish  to  pro- 
pound. Possession  by  foxes  is  a  common  belief  in  many 
parts,  or  (in  places  where  there  are  no  foxes)  possession  by 
badgers,  as  in  the  island  of  Shikoku,  where  the  badger 
walks  by  moonlight  on  his  hind  legs,  distends  his  stomach, 
and  drums  upon  it  with  his  fore  feet,  producing  such  celes- 


ENA-SAN  AND  MISAKATOGE       197 

tial  music  that  those  who  meet  him  fall  enchanted  under 
his  spells. 

Again  the  view  demanded  our  attention,  and  what  with 
the  needs  of  the  inner  man,  three  hours  had  all  too  quickly 
passed  when  we  tore  ourselves  from  the  spot,  not  insensible 
of  the  fact  that,  though  known  to  numbers  of  Japanese  pil- 
grims, to  us  first  among  Europeans  had  fallen  the  delight 
of  this,  perhaps  the  finest,  panorama  to  be  seen  in  Japan. 

It  was  dark  when  we  reached  flat  ground  again,  and  most 
welcome  was  the  hospitality  of  an  ancient  farmhouse,  where 
beast  and  man  enjoyed  the  same  roof.  Here  that  excellent 
beverage,  tamagozake,  a  warm  concoction  of  eggs  and  rice 
wine  revived  us  for  the  rest  of  the  way.  Eggs  form  the 
staple  of  the  native  food  which  a  foreigner  can  rely  on,  a 
fact  which  we  soon  keenly  realized,  for  next  morning,  when 
we  left  Nakatsugawa,  and  made  the  customary  offering  of 
"  tea  money,"  our  bill,  for  the  keep  of  four  men  during 
less  than  three  days,  included  an  item  for  one  hundred  and 
forty  eggs  ! 

I  must  pass  all  too  rapidly  over  the  day  during  which  we 
crossed  the  range  into  the  next  valley,  by  the  Misakatoge 
pass,  of  which  nothing  was  known  by  Europeans,  and  very 
little  could  be  learnt  from  the  Japanese.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  the  view  of  a  deep  valley  between  wooded  mountains, 
with  a  dashing  river  shining  green  along  its  wide  bed  of 
white  stones,  seen  through  a  dazzling  foreground  of  pink 
and  white  azalea,  was  one  which  for  beauty,  I  have  never 
seen  surpassed. 


198  JAPAN 

Near  the  village  of  Sonohara  we  came  on  a  small  shrine, 
whose  majestic  surroundings  seemed  more  worthy  of  Nikko 
or  Nara.  An  immense  cryptomeria  stood  on  either  side  of 
it,  and  one  of  these,  at  five  feet  from  the  ground,  measured 
twenty-six  feet  in  girth.  One  incident  must  also  be  told. 
At  a  little  hamlet,  where  peach,  cherry,  and  pear  were  still 
in  blossom,  the  people,  usually  so  excited  at  seeing  a  for- 
eigner, seemed  quite  unconcerned.  We  sent  our  native 
servant  to  ask  one  of  them  what  they  thought  we  were,  and 
he  reported  this  reply:  "  They  are  from  a  distant  part  of 
Japan,  where  the  people  grow  to  gigantic  size ; "  and  one 
old  woman,  on  hearing  that  we  were  foreigners,  remarked  : 
u  That  is  impossible.  There  are  no  dwellers  outside  the 
land  of  great  Japan."  This  must  not  be  taken  as  an  ex- 
ample of  native  education,  but  as  showing  that  Japan  is  not 
yet  entirely  Europeanized. 

It  was  not  till  after  one  o'clock  at  night  that  we  knocked 
at  the  outer  shutters  (for  there  are  no  doors)  of  an  inn  by 
the  river-bank.  The  household  were  fast  asleep  ;  but  it 
does  not  take  long  to  put  on  what  is  really  rational  dress, 
and  in  a  few  moments  master  and  servants  were  welcoming 
us  as  if  they  had  been  longing  for  our  arrival.  "  Deign  to  let 
me  wash  your  honourable  feet,"  "  Please  allow  us  to  make 
hot  food  for  you,"  "  How  kind  of  you  to  honour  our  mis- 
erable house  !  "  were  phrases  showered  upon  us  with  many 
smiles,  and  every  possible  attention.  This  politeness,  so 
impossible  to  a  European  when  rudely  awakened  at  dead 
of  night,  is  the  more  remarkable,  as  the  Japanese  believe 


ENA-SAN  AND  MISAKATOGE       199 

the  spirit  to  leave  the  body  during  sleep  and  wander  afar  in 
the  shape  of  a  small  black  ball,  and  that,  if  the  body  is  sud- 
denly roused,  the  soul  may  be  too  late  to  join  it,  and  death 
will  result. 

Our  two  days'  hard  walking  were  now  to  be  rewarded 
by  a  surfeit  of  delightful  ease.  Shooting  the  rapids  of  fast 
rivers  is  a  pleasant  diversion  from  mountain-climbing.  It 
is  less  laborious  and  more  exciting,  and  as  it  is  combined, 
on  the  Tenriugawa  River,  with  splendid  scenery,  the  de- 
scent of  that  river  is  an  expedition  to  be  made  if  possible. 
For  the  first  half  of  the  ninety  mile  journey  (which  takes 
altogether  ten  hours)  the  long  flat-bottomed  boat  speeds 
swiftly  down  a  constant  succession  of  races  and  rapids,  its 
bottom  being  flat  and  thin,  and  so  built  as  to  bend  without 
breaking  if  it  touches  a  rock.  Each  time  we  approach  a 
rapid,  the  oarsmen,  of  whom  there  are  four,  standing  up 
with  long  oars,  strike  the  gunwale  of  the  boat.  The  sound 
re-echoes  from  the  cliffs  on  each  side  of  the  narrow  gorge, 
and  is  supposed  to  call  both  gods  and  men  to  attention. 
Soon  the  current's  speed  increases ;  we  plunge  headlong 
into  a  seething  cauldron  of  boiling  water;  right  in  front  is 
a  cliff,  from  which  we  apparently  cannot  escape ;  the  boat- 
men paddle  fast  and  deftly ;  a  single  false  motion  and  we 
are  lost ;  the  waves  dash  over  the  gunwale ;  but  in  much 
less  time  than  these  words  have  taken  we  are  gliding  along 
a  smooth  current  and  almost  into  the  next  rapid. 

In  the  intervals  of  calm  water,  there  is  all  too  little  time 
to  scan  the  glorious  cliffs  that  rise  from  the  river  for  hun- 


200  JAPAN 

dreds  of  feet  almost  straight  to  the  skies,  and  are  never- 
theless rich  with  luxuriant  verdure.  They,  in  themselves, 
would  amply  repay  us  for  our  journey.  Pine  and  maple 
almost  hide  the  precipitous  rock,  here  in  sunlight  and  there 
in  deepest  shade,  while  right  over  the  river  hang  festoons 
of  pale  blue  wistaria,  sometimes  smothering  whole  trees. 

Not  least  among  the  day's  marvels  was  the  astounding 
skill  o\  our  native  cook,  who  with  no  further  appliance 
than  a  small  brass  frame,  a  few  pieces  of  charcoal,  and  a 
frying-pan,  cooked  various  choice  dishes  till  forbidden  to 
cook  any  more. 

After  six  or  seven  hours  through  this  deep  and  narrow 
cleft  in  the  mountain  mass,  the  cliffs  begin  insensibly  to 
slope,  and  on  the  shelving  shores  the  signs  of  human  life 
appeared.  Here  and  there  a  boat  was  being  pulled,  sailed 
or  punted,  or  all  three  at  once,  against  the  strong  current. 
We  came  down  the  ninety  miles  in  ten  hours,  but  it  takes 
them  ten  days  and  more  to  get  back  up  the  river.  Who 
but  the  most  plucky  and  patient  of  men  would  use  such 
torrents  for  navigation  ? 

As  we  neared  the  sea,  twilight  fell ;  and  it  was  dark 
when  we  reached  the  great  railway  bridge  which  spans  the 
river  near  its  mouth,  and  found  ourselves  once  more  in  the 
busy  world. 


A  LARGE  CRATER 

PROF.  JOHN  MILNE 

THE  crater  I  wish  to  describe  is  called  Asosan.     It 
is  situated  in  Kiushiu.     The  width  of  this  crater 
is  about  fifteen  miles,  and  in  the  bottom  of  it  are 
living  about  20,000  people. 

From  Kumamoto,  I  travelled  directly  eastward  along  a 
road  which  upon  the  native  maps  appears  to  lead  from 
one  side  of  the  island  to  the  other.  Straight  before  us  we 
could  see  Asosan  giving  off  heavy  clouds  of  steam;  be- 
tween us  and  this  there  was  a  long  range  of  rugged  hills 
parallel  with  the  coast  which  we  had  just  left  behind  us; 
these  looked  reddish  and  bare,  but  when  we  came  actually 
upon  them,  I  found  that  their  colour  was  due  to  a  covering 
of  brown  grass.  The  road  on  which  we  travelled  was,  for 
a  Japanese  road,  very  wide ;  on  each  side  of  it  there  were 
two  lines  of  trees,  the  lines  nearest  to  the  road  were  wax- 
trees,  and  those  behind  them  were  cryptomerias.  As  the 
wax-trees  had  lost  their  leaves,  they  looked  very  bare  and 
ragged,  but  in  summer  time,  when  they  are  in  full  foliage, 
they  must  form  an  avenue  which  I  think  would  far  surpass 
anything  I  ever  saw  in  an  English  park.  Roads  bordered 
with  lines  of  tall  trees  are  a  feature  in  Japan,  and  some  of 
those  which  continue  for  twenty  or  thirty  miles  in  almost 

20 1 


202  JAPAN 

unbroken  lines,  form  sights  which  when  once  seen  will 
always  be  remembered. 

After  eleven  and  a  half  miles  up  this  road,  we  reached 
the  village  of  Odzu,  where  we  took  up  quarters  for  the 
night.  Early  next  morning  we  started  out  upon  frozen 
roads  to  climb  the  hills  before  us.  The  ascent  was  gentle. 
Right  and  left  were  broad  stretches  of  uncultivated  grassy 
ground.  Away  upon  our  left,  we  could  see  a  high  moun- 
tain called  Kuratake,  which,  from  its  general  shape  and  a 
rugged-looking  hollow  which  had  been  breached  upon  the 
side  towards  which  we  were  looking,  seemed  to  represent 
the  remains  of  an  old  volcano.  Looking  back,  we  could 
see  the  plain  across  which  we  had  come  on  the  previous 
afternoon  ;  at  the  edge  of  it,  where  it  reached  down  to  the 
sea,  we  could  just  make  out  the  position  of  Kumamoto; 
whilst  beyond  that,  at  the  other  side  of  the  bay  on  which 
Kumamoto  is  situated,  there  rises  a  rugged  mass  of  moun- 
tains, the  highest  peak  of  which  was  the  volcano  Unsen. 
This  volcano  is  the  one  which,  amongst  all  Japanese  vol- 
canoes, has  probably  been  the  most  destructive.  In  1793, 
during  an  eruption  which  extended  over  many  days,  a  large 
portion  of  it  literally  blew  up.  The  earthquakes  that  ac- 
companied this  outburst — the  rushing  in  of  the  sea,  and 
the  falling  boulders  and  fiery  rain  of  red-hot  cinders — laid 
waste  the  surrounding  country,  and  took  away  the  lives  of 
fifty  thousand  of  its  inhabitants. 

After  a  little  more  climbing,  we  reached  the  top  of  the 
ridge  called  Futaiyaino-toge  ;  and  here,  before  us,  was  a 


A  LARGE  CRATER  203 

sight  as  striking  as  it  was  unexpected,  because  the  ascent 
from  the  sea  up  to  this  point  had  been  so  gentle,  being  in- 
deed only  about  1,750  feet.  We  had  naturally  expected 
that  on  reaching  the  summit  we  should  have  before  us  a 
descent  equally  easy,  but  instead  of  that,  we  found  our- 
selves standing  on  the  edge  of  what  was  nothing  more  or 
less  than  a  deep  pit,  which  was  nearly  circular.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  sides  of  this  pit  were  perpendicular 
cliffs  of  rocks,  which  here  and  there,  near  their  upper 
parts,  showed  the  irregular,  broken  stratification,  so  char- 
acteristic of  the  sides  of  many  craters.  In  places  at  the 
foot  of  these  cliffs,  a  sloping  talus  had  been  formed ; 
whilst  in  other  places  the  cliff-like  forms  had  been  so  far 
denuded  that  the  sides  of  the  pit  formed  irregular,  but  ex- 
ceedingly steep,  slopes.  Looking  at  this  pit  from  the 
commanding  position  in  which  we  stood,  I  estimated  its 
width  at  seven  miles;  and  it  was  not  until  we  descended, 
and  tried  to  walk  across,  and  found  how  little  was  the  prog- 
ress which  we  made,  that  we  recognized  how  far  we  had 
underrated  its  true  dimensions.  In  the  middle  of  the  pit, 
and  running  far  up  above  its  sides,  there  is  a  large,  irregu- 
lar block  of  mountains,  the  central  peak  of  which  is  always 
giving  off  large  clouds  of  steam.  This  peak  was  Mount 
Aso,  the  goal  of  our  journey.  From  the  rim  upon  which 
we  stood,  by  a  zig-zag  pathway,  we  quickly  made  the 
descent  to  the  crater  plain  below  us.  The  depth  at  this 
point  was  about  600  feet. 

At   the   foot  of  these  mountains,  the  priests  have  their 


204  JAPAN 

permanent  rendez-vous  y  and,  on  the  summit,  small  temples 
and  shrines,  where  during  fixed  seasons  they  reside,  and  re- 
ceive the  crowds  of  pilgrims  to  the  deities  of  the  mountain. 
The  number  of  pilgrims  who  ascend  the  famous  Fujiyama 
every  year  must  be  many  thousands,  and  the  fees  the  priests 
receive  thereby,  from  the  toll-gates  on  the  upward  paths 
that  they  have  established,  are  very  numerous,  and  must 
form  a  considerable  revenue.  If  you  visit  some  of  these 
mountains  at  any  other  time  than  the  appointed  season,  you 
may  be  refused  permission  to  ascend.  I  myself  was  refused 
in  this  way  at  Iwakisan,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  volcanoes 
in  northern  Nippon.  On  another  mountain,  Chokaisan,  I 
was  subjected  to  a  most  curious  treatment.  I  commenced 
ascending  this  mountain,  and  after  scrambling  over  blocks  of 
lava,  and  up  long  fields  of  snow,  I  reached  the  top,  faint 
and  weary  at  1:30  p.  M.  My  first  impulse  was  to  eat  and 
drink,  but  in  this  I  was  prevented  by  four  priests,  who  in- 
sisted that  before  satisfying  either  my  hunger  or  my  thirst  I 
ought  to  pay  my  devotions  at  a  small  shrine  which  they 
had  built.  Being  too  tired  and  feeble  to  resist,  I  allowed 
them  to  lead  me  into  the  shrine  where  I  dropped  on  my 
knees  before  the  idol  between  the  two  priests,  who,  after 
putting  on  their  robes  of  office,  commenced  to  invoke  the 
deity,  and  beat  small  drums.  After  this,  they  opened  a 
small  door  in  front  of  me,  and  showed  me  my  reflection  in 
a  metal  looking-glass,  where  I  suppose  I  was  expected  to 
see  the  lines  which  sin  had  graven  on  my  face.  Next,  one 
of  them  handed  me  a  large,  clean,  metal  bowl.  Instinct 


A  LARGE  CRATER  205 

told  me  that  an  opportunity  was  coming  to  satisfy  my 
thirst ;  so  I  took  it  reverentially  in  my  two  hands,  and  the 
priest  immediately  filled  the  bowl  up  with  Japanese  wine 
(sake],  which  I  learnt  afterwards  had  been  dedicated  to  the 
gods.  Never  did  nectar  taste  so  good.  After  the  first  half- 
pint,  the  priest  invited  me  to  more  wine,  and,  feeling  faint, 
the  offer  was  readily  accepted.  Again  the  offer  came,  but 
this  was  too  much  j  modesty  overcame  me,  and  putting 
down  twenty  cents  as  an  offering  to  the  gods,  I  withdrew 
to  my  sandwiches.  This  was  a  Japanese  sacrament,  and  I 
must  say  that  I  found  it  very  good. 

From  the  foot  of  the  crater  to  Bojo,  I  calculated  the  dis- 
tance to  be  about  five  miles  ;  and,  as  this  point  was  about 
half-way  across  this  portion  of  the  pit,  the  total  width  would 
here  be  about  ten  miles.  From  a  map  of  the  crater,  which 
our  host,  who  kept  a  small  shop  in  Bojo,  made  for  me,  the 
diameter  in  some  directions  must  be  fourteen  or  fifteen 
miles.  This  I  confirmed  by  sketching  in  the  position  of  the 
crater  upon  a  map  prepared  by  the  government.  Looking 
on  the  map,  inside  the  space  I  marked  out  as  being  the 
boundaries  of  the  crater,  I  counted  about  eighty  villages. 
Fifty  of  the  villages,  our  host  said,  were  a  moderate  size. 
If  these  contained,  say,  on  an  average  300  people,  then 
living  in  the  crater  there  must  be  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
thousand  people. 

The  following  account  was  given  to  me  of  the  last 
eruption  of  Asosan : — "During  the  winter  of  1873, 
sounds  were  heard  and  white  and  black  smoke  was  ob- 


206  JAPAN 

served  proceeding  from  the  top  of  Asosan.  On  the  2jth 
February  in  the  following  year,  whilst  the  wind  was  blow- 
ing from  the  south,  the  ground  began  to  quake  and  ashes 
were  thrown  out.  What  the  thickness  of  the  beds  of 
ashes  in  the  rice-fields  was  we  cannot  tell,  but  near  to  us 
they  attained  a  thickness  of  one  inch.  The  ashes 
covered  everything,  and  the  leaves  of  the  pine-trees  and 
the  wheat  were  turned  quite  red.  At  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  I3th  the  ground  again  began  to  shake,  and 
noises  were  heard  on  an  average  one  hundred  times  an 
hour.  On  the  I4th,  at  six  o'clock,  there  were  two  or 
three  very  heavy  shakes  and  on  the  23d  these  became  still 
more  violent.  These  shakings  were  so  strong  that  neither 
old  nor  young  could  sleep.  They  continued  on  the  24th, 
but  on  this  day  the  eruption  ceased.  The  material  which 
was  thrown  out  was  of  a  grey  colour,  but  afterwards  it  be- 
came red.  The  greatest  quantity  of  ashes  fell  at  Kuro- 
gawagumi  and  Higashi-kurogawa.  At  the  commencement 
of  the  eruption,  which  was  on  the  ist  of  December,  1873, 
the  volcano  threw  out  stones  one  and  two  feet  in  diameter; 
and  four  men  who  were  working  at  some  sulphur  deposits 
on  the  top  of  the  mountain  were  immediately  killed. 
Many  hot  springs  burst  out,  and  so  much  sulphurous 
matter  was  thrown  into  the  River  Shirokawo,  which  flows 
from  this  crater  to  Kumamoto  that  all  the  fish  were 
poisoned.  Even  up  till  the  3d  of  March,  1874,  shocks 
were  felt,  and  material  was  thrown  out  which  covered  the 
ground  for  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles.  During  the  day, 


A  LARGE  CRATER  207 

it  was  at  times  as  dark  as  night.  Previously,  in  1806, 
there  had  been  another  serious  eruption.  The  fame  of 
this  mountain  spread  even  to  China,  and  in  a  Chinese  book 
I  found  the  following : — Smoke  rises  up  to  the  sky  from 
Mount  Aso  in  Nippon.  People  say  that  in  this  mountain 
there  is  a  precious  stone  of  a  blue  colour  and  shaped  like 
an  egg,  which  shines  at  night.  They  worship  this  and  call 
it  Antikokusan.  The  shining  smoke  on  the  top  of  this 
mountain  has  three  colours  which  can  be  seen  from  a 
distance  of  three  miles ;  these  three  colours  are  blue, 
yellow  and  red." 

On  the  morning  after  reaching  Bojo,  we  started  off  to 
ascend  the  central  peak  of  Asosan.  After  a  climb  of  about 
200  feet,  we  turned  round  to  look  at  the  crater  we  were 
leaving.  At  our  feet  was  a  cultivated  plain  dotted  over 
with  clumps  of  trees  and  villages,  beyond  which  there  was 
a  line  of  fir-trees  and  cryptomeria.  These  formed  a  belt 
round  the  foot  of  the  amphitheatre  of  perpendicular  cliffs 
which  intercepted  any  further  view.  Before  us,  but  on 
the  left,  there  was  a  rugged  peak  called  Nekodake,  a 
portion  of  which  looked  very  like  a  ruined  crater.  To  the 
right  and  to  the  left  of  us  was  a  wide  expanse  of  slop- 
ing ground  covered  with  brown  grass.  When  we  were 
400  feet  above  Bojo,  we  came  to  patches  of  snow.  As 
we  neared  the  top,  we  crossed  one  or  two  old  lava  streams 
and  beds  of  ashes.  At  a  height  of  about  2,000  feet  above 
our  starting  point,  or  about  3,600  feet  above  the  sea,  we 
were  on  a  level  with  the  upper  crater  of  Asosan,  a  huge 


208  JAPAN 

black  pit  which  was  giving  off  vast  clouds  of  steam.  All 
the  rocks  which  I  saw  up  to  this  point  were  andesites, 
similar  to  those  which  form  the  ring-wall  of  the  outer 
crater.  Here  we  found  one  or  two  men  who  were 
engaged  in  collecting  sulphur.  Upon  our  right,  there  was 
a  rounded  hill  called  Dobindake,  which  rose  almost  500 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  crater.  The  extreme  height, 
therefore,  of  Asosan  above  the  sea-level  is  perhaps  a  little 
over  5,000  feet.  From  this  position,  we  had  a  good  view 
of  the  big  crater  which  surrounded  us,  as  the  slope  on  its 
outside  is  generally  so  gentle  that  it  looked  like  a  huge 
pit  with  perpendicular  sides  which  had  been  dug  out  of  the 
top  part  of  a  piece  of  ground  in  shape  like  an  inverted 
saucer.  On  the  northern  side,  the  cliffs  which  bound  this 
pit  are  almost  everywhere  perpendicular;  but  on  the  south 
side,  which  was  the  side  towards  which  we  descended,  they 
were  more  worn  away  to  form  rugged  hills.  The  cliff-like 
character,  with  its  horizontally-stratified  structure,  could, 
however,  be  in  many  places  distinctly  traced. 

Now  how  does  the  crater  of  Asosan  compare  with 
other  craters  in  the  world  ?  Amongst  those  which  are 
active,  it  appears  to  be  the  largest  which  has  hitherto  been 
discovered,  and  even  if  we  include  those  which  are  extinct, 
it  appears  to  take  the  foremost  place.  Amongst  the  large 
craters  mentioned  by  Scrope,  it  would  seem  that  Asosan, 
considering  its  size  and  activity,  is  without  a  rival.  If  we 
go  further,  leave  the  earth  and  compare  Asosan  with  craters 
on  the  Moon,  although  it  cannot  stand  before  a  pit  like 


A  LARGE  CRATER  209 

that  exhibited  by  Copernicus,  which  is  said  to  have  a 
diameter  of  fifty-six  miles,  it  nevertheless  may  be  regarded 
as  an  example  of  healthy  competition. 

As  an  active  volcano,  however,  it  still  holds  its  place ; 
and  if  Africa  boasts  of  the  largest  waterfall,  and  India  of 
the  highest  mountains,  in  one  of  the  prominent  classes  of 
natural  phenomena  Japan  also  will  be  able  to  take  an 
equally  prominent  position.  Not  only  may  the  Japanese 
boast  of  possessing  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  volcanoes, 
which  mountain  is  the  far-famed  Fuji,  but  they  may  boast 
of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  craters. 


ENOSHIMA 

LAP  CAD  10  HEARN 

THE  road  slopes  before  us  as  we  go,  sinks  down 
between  cliffs  steep  as  the  walls  of  a  canon,  and 
curves.  Suddenly  we  emerge  from  the  cliffs,  and 
reach  the  sea.  It  is  blue  like  the  unclouded  sky, — a  soft 
dreamy  blue. 

And  our  path  turns  sharply  to  the  right,  and  winds  along 
cliff-summits  overlooking  a  broad  beach  of  dun-coloured 
sand ;  and  the  sea-wind  blows  deliciously  with  a  sweet 
saline  scent,  urging  the  lungs  to  fill  themselves  to  the  very 
utmost;  and  far  away  before  me,  I  perceive  a  beautiful 
high  green  mass,  an  island  foliage-covered,  rising  out  of 
the  water  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  main-land, — 
Enoshima,  the  holy  island,  sacred  to  the  goddess  of  the  sea, 
the  goddess  of  beauty.  I  can  already  distinguish  a  tiny 
town,  grey-sprinkling  its  steep  slope.  Evidently  it  can  be 
reached  to-day  on  foot,  for  the  tide  is  out,  and  has  left  bare 
a  long  broad  reach  of  sand,  extending  to  it,  from  the  op- 
posite village  which  we  are  approaching,  like  a  causeway. 

At  Katase,  the  little  settlement  facing  the  island,  we 
must  leave  our  jinriki-sba  and  walk ;  the  dunes  between 
the  villages  and  the  beach  are  too  deep  to  pull  the  vehicle 
over.  Scores  of  other  jinriki-sha  are  waiting  here  in  the 

210 


ENOSHIMA  211 

little  narrow  street  for  pilgrims  who  have  preceded  me. 
But  to-day,  I  am  told,  I  am  the  only  European  who  visits 
the  shrine  of  Benten. 

Our  two  men  lead  the  way  over  the  dunes,  and  we  soon 
descend  upon  damp,  firm  sand. 

As  we  near  the  island  the  architectural  details  of  the  lit- 
tle town  define  delightfully  through  the  faint  sea-haze, — 
curved  bluish  sweeps  of  fantastic  roofs,  angles  of  airy  bal- 
conies, high-peaked  curious  gables,  all  above  a  fluttering  of 
queerly  shaped  banners  covered  with  mysterious  lettering. 
We  pass  the  sand-flats  ;  and  the  ever-open  Portal  of  the 
Sea-City,  the  City  of  the  Dragon-goddess,  is  before  us,  a 
beautiful  Tori-i.  All  of  bronze  it  is,  with  shimenawa  of 
bronze  above  it,  and  a  brazen  tablet  inscribed  with  char- 
acters declaring  :  "  This  is  the  Palace  of  the  Goddess  of  Enosh- 
ima."  About  the  bases  of  the  ponderous  pillars  are  strange 
designs  in  relievo^  eddyings  of  waves  with  tortoises  strug- 
gling in  the  flow.  This  is  really  the  gate  of  the  city,  fac- 
ing the  shrine  of  Benten  by  the  land  approach  ;  but  it  is 
only  the  third  Tori-i  of  the  imposing  series  through  Katase  : 
we  did  not  see  the  others,  having  come  by  way  of  the 
coast. 

And  lo  !  we  are  in  Enoshima.  High  before  us  slopes 
the  single  street,  a  street  of  broad  steps,  a  street  shadowy, 
full  of  multi-coloured  flags  and  dark  blue  drapery  dashed 
with  white  fantasticalities,  which  are  words,  fluttered  by 
the  sea-wind.  It  is  lined  with  taverns  and  miniature  shops. 
At  every  one  I  must  pause  to  look;  and  to  dare  to  look  at 


212  JAPAN 

anything  in  Japan  is  to  want  to  buy  it.  So  I  buy,  and  buy, 
and  buy. 

For  verily  'tis  a  City  of  Mother-of-Pearl,  this  Enoshima. 
In  every  shop,  behind  the  lettered  draperies  there  are  mira- 
cles of  shell-work  for  sale  at  absurdly  small  prices.  The 
glazed  cases  laid  flat  upon  the  matted  platforms,  the  shelved 
cabinets  set  against  the  walls,  are  all  opalescent  with  nacre- 
ous things, — extraordinary  surprises,  incredible  ingenuities ; 
strings  of  mother-of-pearl  fish,  strings  of  mother-of-pearl 
birds,  all  shimmering  with  rainbow  colours.  There  are 
little  kittens  of  mother-of-pearl,  and  little  foxes  of  mother- 
of-pearl,  and  little  puppies  of  mother-of-pearl,  and  girls' 
hair-combs,  and  cigarette-holders,  and  pipes  too  beautiful 
to  use.  There  are  little  tortoises,  not  larger  than  a  shilling, 
made  of  shells,  that,  when  you  touch  them,  however  lightly, 
begin  to  move  head,  legs,  and  tail,  all  at  the  same  time,  al- 
ternately withdrawing  or  protruding  their  limbs  so  much 
like  real  tortoises  as  to  give  one  a  shock  of  surprise.  There 
are  storks  and  birds,  and  beetles  and  butterflies,  and  crabs 
and  lobsters,  made  so  cunningly  of  shells,  that  only  touch 
convinces  you  they  are  not  alive.  There  are  bees  of  shell, 
poised  on  flowers  of  the  same  material, — poised  on  wire  in 
such  a  way  that  they  seem  to  buzz  if  moved  only  with  the 
tip  of  a  feather.  There  is  shell-work  jewelry  indescribable, 
things  that  Japanese  girls  love,  enchantments  in  mother-of- 
pearl,  hair-pins  carven  in  a  hundred  forms,  brooches,  neck- 
laces. And  there  are  photographs  of  Enoshima. 

This  curious  street  ends  at  another   70r;V,  a  wooden 


ENOSHIMA  213 

Tori-i,  with  a  steeper  flight  of  stone  steps  ascending  to  it. 
At  the  foot  of  the  steps  are  votive  stone  lamps  and  a  little 
well,  and  a  stone  tank  at  which  all  pilgrims  wash  their 
hands  and  rinse  their  mouths  before  approaching  the  tem- 
ples of  the  gods.  And  hanging  beside  the  tank  are  bright 
blue  towels,  with  large  white  Chinese  characters  upon 
them.  I  ask  Akira  what  these  characters  signify  : — 

Ho-Keng  is  the  sound  of  the  characters  in  the  Chinese; 
but  in  Japanese  the  same  characters  are  pronounced  Kenji- 
tate — matsuru,  and  signify  that  those  towels  are  most  hum- 
bly offered  to  Benten.  They  are  what  you  call  votive 
offerings.  And  there  are  many  kinds  of  votive  offerings 
made  to  famous  shrines.  Some  people  give  towels,  some 
give  pictures,  some  give  vases ;  some  offer  lanterns  of 
paper,  or  bronze,  or  stone.  It  is  common  to  promise  such 
offerings  when  making  petitions  to  the  gods ;  and  it  is 
usual  to  promise  a  Tori-i.  The  Tori-i  may  be  small  or 
great,  according  to  the  wealth  of  him  who  gives  it;  the 
very  rich  pilgrim  may  offer  to  the  gods  a  Tori-i  of  metal, 
such  as  that  below,  which  is  the  Gate  of  Enoshima. 

Now  we  are  going  to  visit  the  Dragon  cavern,  not  so 
called,  Akira  says,  because  the  Dragon  of  Benten  ever 
dwelt  therein,  but  because  the  shape  of  the  cavern  is  the 
shape  of  a  dragon.  The  path  descends  towards  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  island,  and  suddenly  breaks  into  a  flight  of 
steps  cut  out  of  the  pale  hard  rock, — exceedingly  steep  and 
worn,  and  slippery,  and  perilous, — overlooking  the  sea.  A 
vision  of  low  pale  rocks,  and  surf  bursting  among  them, 


214  JAPAN 

and  a  Toro,  or  votive  stone  lamp,  in  the  centre  of  them, — 
all  seen  as  in  a  bird's  eye  view,  over  the  verge  of  an  awful 
precipice.  I  see  also  deep  round  holes  in  one  of  the  rocks. 
There  used  to  be  a  tea-house  below ;  and  the  wooden  pil- 
lars supporting  it  were  fitted  into  those  holes. 

I  descend  with  caution ;  the  Japanese  seldom  slip  in  their 
straw  sandals,  but  I  can  only  proceed  with  the  aid  of  the 
guide.  At  almost  every  step  I  slip.  Surely  these  steps 
could  never  have  been  thus  worn  away  by  the  straw  sandals 
of  pilgrims  who  came  to  see  only  stones  and  serpents  ! 

At  last  we  reach  a  plank  gallery  carried  along  the  face 
of  the  cliff  above  the  rocks  and  pools,  and  following  it 
round  a  projection  of  the  cliff  enter  the  sacred  cave.  The 
light  dims  as  we  advance;  and  the  sea-waves,  running  after 
us  into  the  gloom,  make  a  stupefying  roar,  multiplied  by 
the  extraordinary  echo.  Looking  back,  I  see  the  mouth 
of  the  cavern  like  a  prodigious  sharply  angled  rent  in  black- 
ness, showing  a  fragment  of  azure  sky. 

We  reach  a  shrine  with  no  deity  in  it,  pay  a  fee ;  and 
lamps  being  lighted  and  given  to  each  of  us,  we  proceed  to 
explore  a  series  of  underground  passages.  So  black  they 
are  that  even  with  the  light  of  three  lamps,  I  can  at  first 
see  nothing.  In  a  while,  however,  I  can  distinguish  stone 
figures  in  relief, — chiseled  on  slabs  like  those  I  saw  in  the 
Buddhist  graveyard.  These  are  placed  at  regular  intervals 
along  the  rock  walls.  The  guide  approaches  his  light  to 
the  face  of  each  one,  and  utters  a  name,  "  Daikoku-Sama," 
"  Fudo-Sama,"  "  Kwannon-Sama."  Sometimes  in  lieu  of 


ENOSHIMA  215 

a  statue  there  is  an  empty  shrine  only,  with  a  money-box 
before  it ;  and  these  void  shrines  have  the  names  of  Shinto 
gods,  "  Daijingu,"  "  Hachiman,"  "  Inari-Sama."  All  the 
statues  are  black,  or  seem  black  in  the  yellow  lamplight, 
and  sparkle  as  if  frosted.  I  feel  as  if  I  were  in  some  mor- 
tuary pit,  some  subterranean  burial-place  of  dead  gods. 
Interminable  the  corridor  appears ;  yet  there  is  at  last  an 
end, — an  end  with  a  shrine  in  it, — where  the  rocky  ceiling 
descends  so  low  that  to  reach  the  shrine  one  must  go  down 
on  hands  and  knees.  And  there  is  nothing  in  the  shrine. 
This  is  the  Tail  of  the  Dragon. 

We  do  not  return  to  the  light  at  once,  but  enter  into 
other  lateral  black  corridors — the  Wings  of  the  Dragon. 
More  sable  effigies  of  dispossessed  gods ;  more  empty 
shrines ;  more  stone  faces  covered  with  saltpetre ;  and 
more  money-boxes  possible  only  to  reach  by  stooping, 
where  more  offerings  should  be  made.  And  there  is  no 
Benten,  either  of  wood  or  stone. 

I  am  glad  to  return  to  the  light.  Here  our  guide  strips 
naked,  and  suddenly  leaps  head  foremost  into  a  black,  deep, 
swirling  current  between  rocks.  Five  minutes  later  he 
reappears,  and  clambering  out  lays  at  my  feet  a  living, 
squirming  sea-snail  and  an  enormous  shrimp.  Then  he 
resumes  his  robe,  and  we  reascend  the  mountain. 

"  And  this,"  the  reader  may  say, — "  this  is  all  that  you 
went  forth  to  see :  a  70r/W,  some  shells,  a  small  damask 
snake,  some  stones  ?  " 

It  is  true.     And   nevertheless   I   know  that   I  am  be- 


216  JAPAN 

witched.  There  is  a  charm  indefinable  about  the  place, — 
a  sort  of  charm  which  comes  with  a  little  ghostly  thrill 
never  to  be  forgotten. 

Not  of  strange  sights  alone  is  this  charm  made,  but  of 
numberless  subtle  sensations  and  ideas  interwoven  and  in- 
terblended :  the  sweet,  sharp  scents  of  grove  and  sea ;  the 
blood-brightening,  vivifying  touch  of  the  free  wind ;  the 
dumb  appeal  of  ancient,  mystic,  mossy  things ;  vague  rev- 
erence evoked  by  knowledge  of  treading  soil  called  holy 
for  a  thousand  years  ;  and  a  sense  of  sympathy,  as  a  human 
duty,  compelled  by  the  vision  of  steps  of  rock  worn  down 
into  shapelessness  by  the  pilgrim  feet  of  vanished  genera- 
tions. 

And  other  memories  ineffaceable :  the  first  sight  of  the 
sea-girt  City  of  Pearl  through  a  fairy  veil  of  haze;  the 
windy  approach  to  the  lovely  island  over  the  velvety  sound- 
less brown  stretch  of  sand ;  the  weird  majesty  of  the  giant 
gate  of  bronze ;  the  queer,  high-sloping,  fantastic,  quaintly- 
gabled  street,  flinging  down  sharp  shadows  of  aerial  bal- 
conies ;  the  flutter  of  coloured  draperies  in  the  sea-wind, 
and  of  flags  with  their  riddles  of  lettering ;  the  pearly  glim- 
mering of  the  astonishing  shapes. 

And  impressions  of  the  enormous  day, — the  day  of  the 
Land  of  the  Gods, — a  loftier  day  than  ever  our  summers 
know ;  and  the  glory  of  the  view  from  those  green,  sacred, 
silent  heights  between  sea  and  sun ;  and  the  remembrance 
of  the  sky,  a  sky  spiritual  as  holiness,  a  sky  with  clouds 
ghost-pure  and  white  as  the  light  itself, — seeming,  indeed, 


ENOSHIMA  217 

not  clouds  but  dreams,  or  souls  of  Bodhisattvas  about  to 
melt  forever  into  some  blue  Nirvana. 

And  the  romance  of  Benten,  too, — the  Deity  of  Beauty, 
the  Divinity  of  Love,  the  Goddess  of  Eloquence.  Rightly 
is  she  named  Goddess  of  the  Sea.  For  is  not  the  Sea  most 
ancient  and  most  excellent  of  Speakers, — the  eternal  Poet, 
chanter  of  that  mystic  hymn  whose  rhythm  shakes  the 
world,  whose  mighty  syllables  no  man  may  learn  ? 


COSTUME  OF  THE  GENTLEMEN  OF 
JAPAN 

ARTHUR  DIOSr 

THE  dress  of  the  Japanese  civilian  Shi-zokuJ  as 
worn  out  of  doors  in  all  occupations  which  do 
not  render  the  adoption  of  European  garments 
necessary  or  advisable,  is  simple  in  cut,  sombre  in  colour, 
neat  to  a  degree,  and  in  excellent  taste.  The  wide-sleeved 
silken  gown,  or  kimono,  of  some  quiet,  dark  colour,  in  very 
narrow  vertical  stripes  divided  by  black  lines,  showing  at 
the  breast  where  the  left  side  is  crossed  over  the  right,  the 
edge  of  an  undergarment  of  precisely  similar  cut,  perhaps 
the  edges  of  two  such  under-gowns,  the  one  worn  next  to 
the  body,  the  ju-ban  (colloquially,  ji-bari),  usually  of  plain 
silk,  these  edges  of  under-robes  showing  in  a  manner  that 
recalls  the  superimposed  waistcoats  of  a  past  generation  in 
Europe.  Over  the  kimono,  the  wide  hakama,  commonly 
translated  by  "  trousers,"  but  really  a  divided  skirt,  of 
sober-coloured  silk — probably  of  some  bluish-grey  tint 
with  narrow  vertical  black  stripes,  strikingly  similar  to  the 
"  striped  Angola  trouserings "  of  the  fashionable  London 
tailors.  The  obi,  or  girdle,  of  thick  silk,  four  yards  long 

1  Formerly  called  Samurai ;  the  Gentry,  who  formed  the  governing  and 
military  class  in  Old  Japan. 

218 


THE  COSTUME  OF  GENTLEMEN  219 

and  two  and  three-quarter  inches  wide,  is  smoothly  and 
evenly  wound  about  the  waist.  Over  all,  the  haorij  or 
overcoat,  of  stiff,  black  corded  silk,  tied  across  the  breast 
by  two  silken  cords,  slung  in  a  graceful  loop,  the  back  of 
the  coat,  just  below  the  collar,  and  the  sleeves  bearing  the 
wearer's  crest,  his  man,  beautifully  embroidered  in  white 
silk,  within  a  circle  of  about  the  size  of  a  shilling. 

These  garments  compose  a  costume  which  proclaims  in 
its  tasteful  simplicity  that  it  is  the  dress  of  a  gentleman  of 
refinement.  And,  indeed  the  impression  is  confirmed  by 
closer  examination  ;  it  is  borne  out  by  every  outward  sign, 
from  the  crown  of  the  hatless  head  to  the  small,  well- 
shaped  feet,  still  free  from  the  painful  deformities  caused  by 
the  irrational  foot-gear  of  Western  civilization,  and  encased 
in  the  most  comfortable,  hygienic  covering  imaginable,  the 
soft,  strong-soled  socks,  generally  white,  called  tabi,  which 
have  a  separate  compartment  for  the  big  toe.  This  allows 
the  big  toe  and  the  one  next  to  it  to  have  a  firm  grasp  of 
the  thick,  padded  loop,  often  covered  with  ribbed  velvet, 
blue  or  grey,  that  is  the  only  attachment  to  the  foot  of  the 
straw  sandal,  the  zori,  worn  in  dry  weather  and  for  walking 
on  smooth  ground,  or  of  the  geta^  the  wooden  clog  com- 
monly used  to  keep  the  soles  of  the  feet  dry  in  the  very 
damp  climate  on  roads  which  are  often  rivers  of  slush. 

1  The  haori,  as  now  worn  reaches  to  below  the  knee.  Its  silk  lining, 
often  costly,  is  of  a  well-chosen  colour,  such  as  russet-brown  or  "  old 
gold,"  with  a  beautiful  woven  pattern.  During  the  war  against  China, 
and  immediately  after  it,  linings  decorated  with  representations  of  vic- 
tories and  incidents  of  conspicuous  gallantry  were  very  popular  in  Tokio. 


220  JAPAN 

These  pattens  add  a  few  inches  to  the  small  stature  of  the 
Japanese  gentleman,  just  as  the  loose-cut  and  wide  sleeves, 
used  as  pockets,  of  his  robes  and  coat  add  breadth  to  his 
rather  narrow  shoulders. 

The  normal  Japanese  position,  equivalent  to  our  sitting, 
is  a  squatting  on  the  heels,  practised  from  babyhood,  which 
has  the  one  advantage  that  it  keeps  the  feet  warm  in  cold 
weather,  but  which  forces  the  body  into  an  unhealthy  atti- 
tude, and  has  resulted,  in  the  course  of  centuries,  in  pro- 
ducing the  disproportionate  figure  of  the  modern  Japanese 
of  the  upper  classes,  the  trunk  too  long  in  comparison  with 
the  legs,  the  shoulders  too  narrow  and  the  chest  too  flat. 
Amongst  the  working-classes,  whose  labour  entails  much 
standing  and  walking,  the  body  is  much  more  symmetrical, 
and  the  muscular  development,  particularly  in  the  loins  and 
the  lower  limbs,  is  often  remarkable,  especially  in  the  case 
of  "  coolies,"  jinriki-sha  drawers  and  fishermen. 

The  Japanese  gentleman  has  been  described  as  hatless. 
Would  that  this  were  always  true,  or  that,  at  all  events, 
when  he  feels  the  necessity  of  a  covering  for  his  head,  he 
would  wear  one  of  the  various  shapes  of  shady,  light,  and 
cool  hats,  of  straw,  or  of  split  and  plaited  bamboo,  used  in 
summer  by  the  labouring  classes  and  wayfarers,  the  kind 
most  in  favour  amongst  them  being  an  inverted  bowl,  or 
basin,  with  a  light  inner  rim  fitting  round  the  head,  on 
the  principle  of  the  "  sun-helmets  "  used  by  Europeans  in 
the  tropics,  a  perfectly  rational,  hygienic  hat !  Unfortu- 
nately, his  natural  good  taste  seems  to  fail  him  at  times, 


THE  COSTUME  OF  GENTLEMEN  221 

and  he  sees  no  incongruity  in  wearing,  with  his  graceful, 
dignified,  silken  costume,  any  sort  of  Western  head-gear, 
from  the  jaunty  "  Homburg  hat,"  of  grey  or  brown  felt, 
with  a  "  complimentary  mourning  "  band,  or  of  straw,  with 
its  cleft  crown,  or  the  hard,  low-crowned  "  bowler,"  to  the 
straw  hat  of  the  Occidental  boating-man,  and  even — sad  to 
relate  !  — to  that  abomination  of  modern  Britain — -the  shape- 
less cloth  "  stable-cap,"  with  its  peak  of  the  same  material, 
or  sometimes,  more  hideous  still,  the  double-peaked,  ear- 
flapped,  "  fore-and-aft  "  cap  of  sad-coloured  cloth. 

If  he  be  not  always  hatless,  he  is  certainly  without 
gloves,  so  that  we  have  an  opportunity  of  admiring  his 
small,  delicately-formed  hands,  with  their  slender,  supple 
fingers — whose  pliancy  is  cultivated  in  childhood  and 
youth,  by  the  school-boy  habit  of  twisting  soft  paper  into 
tough  string  whilst  poring  over  the  lesson-book — fingers 
that  can  deftly  handle  the  writing-brush  or  the  eating- 
sticks,  and  that  are  kept  soft  and  clean,  with  carefully- 
trimmed  nails.  Small  and  well-shaped  hands  and  feet  are 
characteristic  of  the  Turanian  races,  but  nowhere  are  they 
more  noticeable  than  in  Japan,  where  the  roughest  labour 
does  not  seem  to  obliterate  the  good  shape  of  the 
extremities. 

The  Japanese  gentleman's  clean,  gloveless  hand  holds  a 
small  and  simple  fan,  of  paper  and  bamboo ;  not  one  of 
those  garish  articles  the  bad  taste  of  Western  purchasers 
compels  Japanese  craftsmen  to  produce  for  export  by  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  annually.  No  Japanese  would  cool 


222  JAPAN 

himself,  or  shield  his  head  from  the  sun's  rays  (a  frequent 
use  of  the  fan),  with  one  of  the  fans — too  large,  too  bright, 
the  design  badly  printed  from  a  worn-out  block — that 
Occidental  ladies  use  without  hesitation,  and  even  exhibit, 
as  artistic  decorations  on  the  walls  of  their  rooms.  The 
Shi-zoku's  ogi,  or  folding-fan  (not  to  be  confounded  with  the 
uchi-wa,  the  stiff  non-folding-fan,  or  hand-screen),  is  beau- 
tifully made  of  stout  mulberry-tree  paper,  with  a  fine, 
glossy,  parchment-like  surface,  and  of  carefully-selected 
split  bamboo ;  it  is  light  and  very  durable,  and  it  closes  with 
a  sharp  click  testifying  to  the  accuracy  with  which  its  faces 
are  pasted  on  to  the  frame.  Its  decoration  is  severely  sim- 
ple ;  usually  a  mere  suggestion  of  clouds,  in  pale  gold  and 
silver  powdering  on  the  colourless  surface,  or  a  delicate  lit- 
tle sketch  in  sepia — a  scene  from  classic  literature,  or  an 
impression  of  romantic  landscape,  frequently  with  the  ad- 
dition of  a  short  poem,  a  shi^  or  ode  in  the  Chinese  style, 
or  an  uta,  purely  Japanese,  written  with  consummate  art  by 
the  brush  of  some  renowned  master  of  caligraphy.  When 
the  fan  is  not  carried  in  the  hand,  it  is  stuck  into  the  girdle, 
or  into  the  bosom  of  the  gown. 

According  to  the  season,  the  Japanese  gentleman  carries 
a  paper  parasol,  an  umbrella,  or  a  walking-stick.  The  par- 
asol is  of  purely  Japanese  design,  now  too  well  known  to 
need  description  ;  the  umbrella  is,  sad  to  tell,  more  frequently 
a  local  imitation  of  the  most  ungainly  form  of  the  cheap 
Occidental  article  than  one  of  the  light  and  graceful  um- 
brellas of  oiled  paper  and  split  bamboo  still  used  by  the  masses. 


THE  COSTUME  OF  GENTLEMEN  223 

I  have  described  thus  in  detail  the  dress  of  the  gentleman 
of  New  Japan,  and  its  accessories,  not  only  because  of  the 
opportunities  of  throwing  side-lights  on  some  manners  and 
customs  affected  by  the  introduction  of  Western  ideas — 
and  on  some  of  the  new  industries  created,  and  the  old  ones 
affected,  by  the  new  conditions — but  with  the  object  of  dis- 
pelling the  prevalent  misconception  that  the  national 
costume  is  in  danger  of  early  extinction.  There  was  a 
period  in  which  it  seemed  doomed  to  give  way  before 
the  dress  of  the  West,  as  represented  by  hideous  imported 
"slop-clothes  "  and  native  imitations  thereof.  From  1873 
to  1887,  especially  in  the  last  three  years  of  that  period, 
the  adoption  of  European  dress  progressed  rapidly  amongst 
the  upper  classes.  It  had  been  made  compulsory  for  officials 
when  on  duty  in  1873,  and  had  steadily  gained  ground 
amongst  students,  bankers,  merchants,  and  others  coming, 
more  or  less  directly,  under  foreign  influence. 

The  wave  of  German  influence  that  swept  over  Japan  from 
1885  to  1887  carried  the  innovation  to  a  still  more  danger- 
ous point.  The  beautiful  costume  of  the  women  of  Japan, 
so  absolutely  becoming  to  its  wearers  that  one  can  hardly 
imagine  them  clad  in  any  other  way,  was  threatened,  and 
sad  to  relate,  the  ladies  of  the  Court  began  to  order  dresses 
from — Paris  ?  No — the  pen  almost  refuses  to  chronicle  the 
appalling  fact — -from  Berlin!  In  the  nick  of  time,  the  re- 
action against  a  Slavish  imitation  of  Occidental  customs 
unsuited  to  the  country  came  to  the  rescue.  In  1887,  the 
national  spirit,  roused  to  indignation  against  the  Western 


224  JAPAN 

Powers  by  the  failure  of  Count  Inouye's  attempts  to  induce 
them  to  negotiate  a  Revision  of  the  Treaties  on  the  basis 
ardently  desired  by  the  Japanese,  caused  a  sudden  return  to 
many  of  the  old  habits  and  customs  that  had  fallen  into 
abeyance.  This  reaction  in  minor  matters,  whilst  not  im- 
peding the  nation's  progress  in  the  adaptation  of  the  essen- 
tials of  modern  civilization,  has  since  made  itself  increas- 
ingly conspicuous. 

Its  outward  and  visible  sign  is  the  resumption  of  their 
picturesque  and  becoming  national  dress  by  both  men  and 
women  of  the  upper  class.  The  uniforms,  naval,  military 
and  civil,  are  all  of  European  patterns ;  so  is  the  court 
dress  of  the  nobility — more  is  the  pity,  for  no  statelier  cos- 
tume could  be  devised  than  that  worn  by  the  nobles  of 
Old  Japan — and,  at  most  of  the  court  functions,  the 
Empress,  one  of  those  gracious  \\tt\egrandes  dames  who  look 
charming  and  dignified  in  any  costume,  appears  in  European 
dress,  together  with  her  ladies,  some  of  whom  now  accus- 
tomed to  wear  it,  wear  it  with  truly  Parisian  grace.  Offi- 
cials are  clad  in  European  costume  during  office-hours,  but 
it  may  safely  be  said  that,  with  the  above  exceptions,  the 
Japanese  of  the  upper  class  now  wear  their  national  dress  at 
all  times  when  the  nature  of  their  work,  or  recreation,  does 
not  render  Western  clothing  much  more  suitable. 

The  dress  I  have  attempted  to  describe  is  subject  to  some 
modifications,  according  to  the  seasons.  In  winter,  a  short 
under  jacket,  or  dog'i,  of  silk  or  cotton  is  worn ;  and,  in 
very  cold  weather,  two  wadded  gowns,  the  nether  one  called 


THE  COSTUME  OF  GENTLEMEN  225 

shita-gi,  the  upper  one  uwa-gi,  keep  the  body  warm.  In 
summer,  the  kimono  is  of  thin  material  and  of  lighter  colour, 
the  ji-ban,  or  shirt,  shows  a  white  edge  at  the  opening  of 
the  gown,  and,  indoors,  or  within  the  precincts  of  his  own 
garden,  the  Shi-zoku  throws  off  the  summer  baorij  or 
overcoat,  which  is  not  necessarily  black,  like  the  one  worn 
in  winter,  the  silken  hakama^  and  even  the  summer  kimono 
of  r0,  or  gauze  silk,  and  slips  on  a  yukata,  a  cotton  bath- 
gown,  generally  white  with  some  minute  blue  pattern — the 
perfection  of  a  garment  for  lounging  in  hot  weather.  The 
loin-cloth  (shita-obi)  of  bleached  muslin  is  always  worn 
next  to  the  skin.  Its  plebeian  counterpart,  the  fundoshi,  is 
the  foundation  of  the  costume  of  every  male  Japanese  who 
earns  his  rice  or  only  his  millet,  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow. 
When  working  away  from  houses,  and  secure  from  obser- 
vation by  the  lynx-eyed  policemen,  he  reduces  his  dress  to 
its  simplest  form — the  loin-cloth — wondering  greatly  why 
the  powers  that  be,  should,  at  the  instigation  of  the  foreign- 
ers, object  to  his  thus  baring  his  brawny  limbs,  his 
muscular  back  and  chest,  just  as  untold  generations  of  his 
ancestors  did  unmolested. 

The  Shi-zoku  has  wisely  reverted  to  his  national  dress, 
but  in  one  point  of  his  appearance  he  belongs  irrevocably 
to  New  Japan.  He  wears  his  abundant  hair  cut  in  the 
Occidental  fashion,  not  always,  sooth  to  say,  in  the  most 
approved  Bond  Street  or  Piccadilly  style — too  frequently, 
an  inverted  pudding-basin  would  appear  to  have  guided  the 
scissors  in  their  course — but,  uneven  or  sleek,  his  hair,  with 


226  JAPAN 

its  parting  in  the  European  fashion,  is  a  sign  of  the  Great 
Change.  One  of  the  first  acts  of  those  who  shaped  the 
policy  of  New  Japan  was  to  order  all  officials  to  abandon 
the  national  mode  of  wearing  the  hair,  the  time-honoured 
custom  of  shaving  the  centre  of  the  front  and  top  of  the 
head,  leaving  the  backhair  long,  to  be  gathered  into  a  little 
cue,  the  mage,  which  was  bound  with  a  string,  wound  round 
and  round  its  base,  and  then  bent  forward,  lying  well  over 
the  shaven  poll,  the  ends  neatly  cut  and  trimmed.  A  glance 
at  any  Japanese  picture  representing  a  scene  of  any  period 
between  the  heroic  times  and  1870,  containing  bare-headed 
male  figures,  will  show  the  mage,  and  will  demonstrate  its 
appropriateness  to  the  Japanese  countenance,  to  which  it 
imparts  a  look  of  great  intelligence,  due  to  the  high,  shaven 
forehead,  and  of  peculiar  dignity.  But  the  mage  was  a 
troublesome  fashion,  involving  the  frequent  ministrations 
of  the  barber,  and  the  loss  of  much  time  that  was  required, 
under  the  new  dispensation,  for  the  study  of  many  difficult 
subjects,  such  as  chemistry,  and  political  economy,  and 
Parliamentary  government.  So  the  mage  had  to  be  cut  off, 
the  smooth  space  on  the  head  was  suffered  to  grow  a  crop 
of  stubble,  and  the  fraternity  of  barbers  groaned  inwardly, 
and  learnt  to  cut  the  hair  after  the  fashion  of  the  West. 


JAPANESE  LADIES 

T.  E.  M. 

THE  fair  sex  in  Japan  are  the  most  simple,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  the  most  complicated  creatures  im- 
aginable. In  their  general  ideas  and  knowledge 
of  the  world  they  are  like  children — delightful  children  too 
— and  in  their  love  of  enjoyment  and  simple  pleasures  they 
retain  their  youthful  simplicity  all  their  lives.  But,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  a  foreigner  really  to 
understand  their  natures.  Up  to  a  certain  point  a  Japanese 
lady  is  apparently  friendly,  as  she  greets  one  on  meeting 
with  that  easy  grace  and  courtesy  which  is  one  of  her  pe- 
culiar charms.  But  one  seldom  becomes  more  intimate. 
There  seems  to  be  a  wall  of  reserve  beyond  which  it  is  im- 
possible to  penetrate.  I  have  vainly  attempted  to  fathom 
the  cause  of  this  barrier,  but  without  success  ;  and  I  find 
it  is  the  general  experience  of  those  who,  like  myself,  have 
lived  amongst  the  Japanese,  and  know  them  well. 

Perhaps  the  natural  antipathy  which  has  so  long  existed 
between  the  Eastern  and  Western  races  may  somewhat 
account  for  this  want  of  intimacy,  and  I  also  fear  we  Eu- 
ropeans have  often  wounded  the  delicate  susceptibilities  of 
our  Eastern  cousins  by  our  want  of  tact,  and  our  tendency 

227 


228  JAPAN 

to  treat  their  manners  and  customs  with  ridicule,  if  not 
contempt. 

I  am  speaking  more  particularly  of  the  ladies  of  the  upper 
classes.  The  little  "  musmee,"  generally  considered  by  the 
ordinary  globe-trotter  to  be  the  recognized  type  of  a  Jap- 
anese woman,  is  no  more  so  than  is  the  "  grisette  "  the 
typical  French  woman,  or  the  English  ballet  girl  the  typical 
Englishwoman. 

Nowhere,  perhaps,  in  the  world  does  one  find  a  more 
ideal  "  lady  "  than  amongst  the  wives  and  daughters  of 
"  fair  Japonica."  A  Japanese  lady  reminds  me  of  a  deli- 
cate sea-anemone  which  at  the  first  approach  of  a  rough 
hand  shrinks  into  itself,  avoiding  contact  with  the  practical 
hardness  of  every-day  life.  She  is  almost  morbidly  sensi- 
tive, but  her  natural  pride  and  politeness  forbid  her  in  any 
way  to  retaliate.  How  little  we  understand  her  feelings  ! 
A  Japanese  never  forgets.  Sometimes  revenge  is  impos- 
sible, but  I  have  heard  of  more  than  one  case  when  a  for- 
eigner's official  position  had  been  lost  owing  to  his  wife's 
indiscretion,  though  he,  and  his  wife  also,  may  be  entirely 
ignorant  of  the  cause  of  the  dismissal. 

In  appearance  a  Japanese  woman  is  smaller  and  of 
slighter  build  than  a  European.  Many  are  distinctly  pretty 
when  young,  but  they  age  very  quickly,  and  with  their 
youth  every  vestige  of  good  looks  departs.  Their  com- 
plexions are  very  sallow,  but  their  faces  are  generally 
thickly  painted  and  powdered,  a  hard  line  round  the  neck 
showing  the  point  where  art  stops  and  nature  begins. 


JAPANESE  LADIES  229 

Beauty,  from  a  Japanese  standpoint,  consists  in  a  long, 
oval  face,  regular  features,  almond-shaped  eyes,  sloping 
slightly  upwards,  a  high  narrow  forehead,  and  abundance 
of  smooth,  black  hair.  Their  movements  are  graceful,  al- 
though the  style  of  their  dress  prevents  them  walking  with 
ease  ;  their  feet  and  hands  are  delicately  formed,  and  their 
manners  are  unquestionably  charming. 

They  take  little  or  no  exercise,  and  one  wonders  some- 
times how  the  little  ladies  employ  their  time — there  seems 
so  little  to  be  done  in  a  Japanese  house.  To  begin  with, 
there  are  no  regular  meals.  The  shops  near  at  hand  sup- 
ply daily  numberless  little  dishes,  which  seem  to  be  eaten 
at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night — a  few  pecks  at  a  time — 
with  those  impossible  little  chopsticks.  Very  little  is  kept 
in  the  larder  except  some  slices  of  daikon  (fermented  tur- 
nip), some  rice  and  sweet  biscuits. 

"  The  honourable  live  fish  "  is  sold  by  men  who  carry 
round  large  water-tubs  from  house  to  house  and  cut  off  as 
much  as  is  required  from  the  unfortunate  fish,  and  replace 
the  sadly  mutilated  but  struggling  remains  back  in  the  tub. 

Eggs  are  plentiful  and  cheap  ;  bread  is  never  used,  so 
there  is  no  necessity  for  an  oven. 

The  great  stand-by  is  tea.  A  Japanese  lady  is  seldom 
seen  in  her  home  without  the  quaint  little  tea-tray  by  her 
side,  and  the  inevitable  pipe,  containing  one  whiff  of  to- 
bacco, which  is  in  constant  requisition. 

There  is  practically  no  furniture  in  a  Japanese  house. 
The  beds  consist  of  large  quilted  rugs,  called  futons,  which 


230  JAPAN 

are  rolled  up  every  morning  and  put  in  the  cupboards  con- 
cealed behind  the  shoji^  or  panels  in  the  walls.  There  are 
no  carpets,  curtains,  tables  or  chairs,  only  the  straw  tatami  ; 
and  a  few  small  flat  cushions  on  the  floor.  Instead  of  our 
European  fireplace,  a  brass  or  wooden  hibatchi,  i.  e.,  firebox, 
is  substituted,  containing  charcoal.  The  boxes  can  be 
moved  about  a  room  as  desired.  Everything  is  spotlessly 
clean.  No  muddy  shoes  are  allowed  inside  a  house,  and 
one  can  generally  judge  of  the  number  of  inmates  by  the 
row  of  wooden  clogs  placed  in  a  row  outside  the  front 
door.  Yes,  it  is  all  very  quaint  and  strange  in  Japan,  and 
the  longer  one  lives  in  the  country,  the  more  fascinated 
one  becomes  with  the  little  people  whose  manners  and  cus- 
toms differ  so  greatly  from  our  own. 

A  Japanese  lady  is  noted  for  her  courage,  her  strength 
of  mind  and  self-possession.  It  is  wonderful  to  think  what 
physical  trials  and  dangers  these  fragile  little  creatures  will 
undergo  in  an  emergency.  From  her  youth  a  Japanese 
lady  is  taught  to  control  her  feelings,  and  the  strange  im- 
mobility that  is  so  noticeable  in  the  Empress  is  considered, 
from  a  Japanese  point  of  view,  the  very  highest  mark  of 
good  breeding. 

The  social  position  of  Japanese  women  has  very  much 
changed  for  the  better  during  the  last  few  years,  chiefly 
owing  to  foreign  influence  and  the  spread  of  Christianity  in 
the  country.  The  Empress,  too,  has  done  much  by  pro- 
moting charitable  work  of  all  kinds,  and,  through  her  in- 
fluence, the  horrible  custom  of  blackening  the  teeth  and 


JAPANESE  LADIES  231 

shaving  the  eyebrows  of  married  women  has  been  abolished. 
Her  personal  interest  in  the  Red  Cross  Society  was  espe- 
cially noticeable  during  the  war,  when  she  and  the  wives 
of  many  of  the  nobles  visited,  and  some  even  nursed,  the 
sick  in  hospital,  and  employed  their  days  making  lint  and 
bandages  for  use  of  the  wounded. 

A  Japanese  courtship  and  wedding  are  both  very  curious 
ceremonies,  and  still  somewhat  savour  of  barbarism. 
"  When  a  young  man  has  fixed  his  affections  upon  a 
maiden  of  suitable  standing,  he  declares  his  love  by  fasten- 
ing a  branch  of  a  certain  shrub  to  the  house  of  the  damsel's 
parents.  If  the  branch  be  neglected,  the  suit  is  rejected  ; 
if  it  be  accepted,  so  is  the  suitor."  At  the  time  of  the 
marriage  the  bridegroom  sends  presents  to  his  bride  as 
costly  as  his  means  will  allow ;  which  she  immediately  of- 
fers to  her  parents,  in  acknowledgment  of  their  kindness  in 
infancy  and  of  the  pains  bestowed  upon  her  education. 
The  wedding  takes  place  in  the  evening.  The  bride  is 
dressed  in  a  long  white  silk  kimono  and  white  veil,  and  she 
and  her  future  husband  sit  facing  each  other  on  the  floor. 
Two  tables  are  placed  close  by ;  on  the  one  is  a  kettle  with 
two  spouts,  a  bottle  of  sake,  and  cups ;  on  the  other  is  a 
miniature  fir-tree — signifying  the  strength  of  the  bride- 
groom ;  a  plum-tree,  signifying  the  beauty  of  the  bride; 
and  lastly  a  stork  standing  on  a  tortoise — representing  long 
life  and  happiness  desired  by  them  both. 

At  the  marriage  feast  each  guest  in  turn  drinks  three 
cups  of  the  sake ;  and  the  two-spouted  kettle,  also  contain- 


232  JAPAN 

ing  sake,  is  put  to  the  mouths  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom 
alternately  by  two  attendants,  signifying  that  they  are  to 
share  together  joys  and  sorrows.  The  bride  keeps  her  veil 
all  her  life,  and  at  her  death  it  is  buried  with  her  as  her 
shroud.  The  chief  duty  of  a  Japanese  woman  all  her  life 
is  obedience:  whilst  unmarried,  to  her  parents;  when  mar- 
ried, to  her  husband  and  his  parents ;  when  widowed,  to 
her  son. 

In  the  Greater  Learning  of  Women,  we  read  :  "  A  woman 
should  look  upon  her  husband  as  if  he  were  Heaven  itself, 
and  thus  escape  celestial  punishment.  The  five  worst 
maladies  that  afflict  the  female  mind  are : — indocility,  dis- 
content, slander,  jealousy  and  silliness.  Without  any 
doubt  these  five  maladies  afflict  seven  or  eight  out  of  every 
ten  women,  and  from  them  arises  the  inferiority  of  women 
to  men.  A  woman  should  cure  them  by  self-inspection 
and  self-reproach.  The  worst  of  them,  and  the  parent  of 
the  other  four,  is  silliness  !  " 

The  above  extract  shows  us  very  clearly  the  position 
which  women  have,  until  quite  recently,  taken  in  Japan. 
As  a  German  writer  says,  her  condition  is  the  intermediate 
link  between  the  European  and  the  Asiatic.  On  the  one 
hand,  Japanese  women  are  subjected  to  no  seclusion,  and 
are  as  carefully  educated  as  the  men,  and  take  their  place 
in  society  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they  have  absolutely 
no  independence,  and  are  in  complete  subjection  to  their 
husbands,  sons,  and  other  relations.  They  are  without 
legal  rights,  and  under  no  circumstances  can  a  wife  obtain 


JAPANESE  LADIES  233 

a  divorce  or  separation  from  her  husband,  however  great 
his  offence.  Notwithstanding  this,  in  no  country  does  one 
find  a  higher  standard  of  morality  than  amongst  the  mar- 
ried women  of  Japan.  Faithlessness  is  practically  un- 
known, although  the  poor  little  wives  must  often  have 
much  to  put  up  with  from  their  autocratic  lords  and  mas- 
ters. They  bear  all,  however,  silently  and  uncomplain- 
ingly, their  characteristic  pride  and  reserve  forbidding  them 
show  to  the  outer  world  what  they  suffer. 


JAPANESE  CHILDREN 

MORTIMER  MEMPES 

A  CLUSTER  of  little  Japanese  children  at  play 
somehow  suggests  to  me  a  grand  picture-gallery, 
a  picture-gallery  of  a  nation.  Every  picture  is  a 
child  upon  which  has  been  expended  the  subtle  decorative 
sense  of  its  family  or  neighbours,  as  expressed  in  the  tint 
of  its  dress  and  sash  and  in  the  decoration  of  its  little  head. 
It  is  in  the  children  that  the  national  artistic  and  poetic 
nature  of  the  Japanese  people  most  assuredly  finds  expres- 
sion. Each  little  one  expresses  in  its  tiny  dress  some  con- 
ception, some  idea  or  thought,  dear  to  the  mother,  some 
particular  aspect  of  the  national  ideals.  And  just  as  in 
the  West  the  character  of  a  man  can  be  gauged  by  the  set 
and  crease  of  his  trousers,  so  in  Japan  are  the  sentiments 
and  ideals  of  a  mother  expressed  in  the  design  and  colour- 
ing of  her  baby's  little  kimono.  Thus,  when  watching  a 
group  of  children,  maybe  on  a  fete  day,  one  instinctively 
compares  them  with  a  gallery  of  pictures,  each  of  which  is 
a  masterpiece,  painted  by  an  artist  whose  individuality  is 
clearly  expressed  therein.  Each  little  picture  in  this  gal- 
lery of  children  is  perfect  in  itself;  yet  on  closer  study  it 
will  be  found  that  the  children  are  more  than  mere  pictures. 
They  tell  us  of  the  truths  of  Japan. 

The  science  of  deportment  occupies  quite  half  the  time 

234 


JAPANESE   CHILDREN,  BY   MORTIMER   MEMPES. 


JAPANESE  CHILDREN  235 

of  the  Japanese  children's  lives,  and  so  early  are  they  trained 
that  even  the  baby  of  three,  strapped  to  the  back  of  its 
sister  aged  five,  will  in  that  awkward  position  bow  to  you 
and  behave  with  perfect  propriety  and  grace.  This  Japa- 
nese baby  has  already  gone  through  a  course  of  severe 
training  in  the  science  of  deportment.  It  has  been  taught 
how  to  walk,  how  to  kneel  down,  and  how  to  get  up  again 
without  disarranging  a  single  fold  of  its  kimono.  After  this 
it  is  necessary  that  it  should  learn  the  correct  way  to  wait 
upon  people — how  to  carry  a  tray,  and  how  to  present  it 
gracefully ;  while  the  dainty  handing  of  a  cup  to  a  guest  is 
of  the  greatest  importance  imaginable.  A  gentleman  can 
always  tell  the  character  of  a  girl  and  the  class  to  which 
she  belongs  by  the  way  she  offers  him  a  cup  of  sake.  And 
then  the  children  are  taught  that  they  must  always  control 
their  feelings — if  they  are  sad,  never  to  cry ;  if  they  are 
happy,  to  laugh  quietly,  never  in  a  boisterous  manner,  for 
that  would  be  considered  vulgar  in  the  extreme. 

Modesty  and  reserve  are  insisted  upon  in  the  youth  of 
Japan.  A  girl  is  taught  that  she  must  talk  very  little,  but 
listen  sympathetically  to  the  conversation  of  her  superiors. 
If  she  has  a  brother,  she  must  look  up  to  him  as  her  mas- 
ter, even  although  he  be  younger  than  herself.  She  must 
give  way  to  him  in  every  detail.  The  baby  boy  places  his 
tiny  foot  upon  his  sister's  neck,  and  she  is  thenceforth  his 
slave.  If  he  is  sad,  her  one  care  must  be  to  make  him 
happy.  Her  ambition  is  to  imitate  as  nearly  as  possible 
the  behaviour  of  her  mother  towards  her  own  lord  and  master. 


236  JAPAN 

A  little  boy  flying  a  kite  is  like  no  other  boy  you  have 
ever  seen  in  England.  There  is  a  curious  formality  and 
staidness  about  him  and  his  companions  which  never  degen- 
erates into  shyness. 

Once  I  drifted  into  a  country  village  in  search  of  sub- 
jects for  pictures,  and  I  found  to  my  astonishment  that 
every  living  soul  there  was  flying  a  kite,  from  old  men 
down  to  babies.  It  was  evidently  ayQfo-day,  dedicated  to 
kites;  all  business  seemed  abandoned,  and  every  one  either 
stood  or  ran  about  gazing  up  in  the  air  at  the  respective 
toys.  There  were  kites  of  every  variety — red  kites,  yellow 
kites,  kites  in  the  shape  of  fish,  teams  of  fighting  kites  and 
sometimes  whole  battalions  of  them  at  war  with  kites  of  a 
different  colour,  attempting  to  chafe  each  other's  strings. 
It  rather  surprised  me  at  first  to  see  staid  old  men  keenly 
interested  in  so  childish  an  amusement ;  but  in  a  very  short 
time  I  too  found  myself  running  about  with  the  rest,  grasp- 
ing a  string  and  watching  with  the  greatest  joy  imaginable 
the  career  of  a  floating  thing  gorgeously  painted,  softly 
rising  higher  and  higher  in  the  air,  until  it  mingled  among 
the  canopy  of  other  kites  above  my  head,  becoming  en- 
tangled for  a  moment,  then  leaving  them  and  soaring  up 
above  the  common  herd,  and  side  by  side  with  a  monstrous 
butterfly  kite ;  then  came  the  chase,  the  flight  and  the 
downfall  of  one  or  the  other.  They  were  all  children 
there,  every  one  of  them,  from  the  old  men  downwards; 
all  care  and  worry  was  for  the  time  forgotten  in  the  simple 
joy  of  flying  kites ;  and  I  too,  in  sympathy  with  the  gaiety 


JAPANESE  CHILDREN  237 

about  me,  felt  bubbling  over  with  pure  joy.  To  see  these 
lovely  flower-like  child  faces  mingling  with  the  yellow 
wrinkled  visages  of  very  old  men,  all  equally  happy  in  a 
game  in  which  age  played  no  part,  was  an  experience  never 
to  be  forgotten.  None  was  too  old  or  too  young,  and  you 
would  see  mites  strapped  to  the  backs  of  their  mothers, 
holding  a  bit  of  soiled  knotted  string  in  their  baby  fingers, 
and  gazing  with  their  black  slit  eyes  at  some  tiny  bit  of  a 
crumpled  kite  floating  only  a  few  inches  away. 

Another  game  in  which  both  the  youth  and  the  age  of 
Japan  play  equal  parts  is  the  game  of  painting  sand-pictures 
on  the  roadside.  These  sand-pictures  are  often  executed 
by  very  clever  artists ;  but  I  have  seen  little  children  draw- 
ing exquisite  pictures  in  coloured  sands. 

Japanese  children  seem  to  have  an  instinctive  knowledge 
of  drawing  and  a  facility  in  the  handling  of  a  paint-brush 
that  is  simply  extraordinary.  They  will  begin  quite  as 
babies  to  practise  the  art  of  painting  and  drawing,  and 
more  especially  the  art  of  painting  sand-pictures.  You 
will  see  groups  of  little  children  sitting  in  the  playground 
of  some  ancient  temple,  each  child  with  three  bags  of 
coloured  sand  and  one  of  white,  competing  with  one 
another  as  to  who  shall  draw  the  quaintest  and  most  rapid 
picture.  The  white  sand  they  will  first  proceed  to  spread 
over  the  ground  in  the  form  of  a  square,  cleaning  the  edges 
until  it  resembles  a  sheet  of  white  paper.  Then  with  a 
handful  of  black  sand  held  in  the  chubby  fingers,  they  will 
draw  with  the  utmost  rapidity  the  outline  of  some 


238  JAPAN 

grotesque  figure  of  a  man  or  an  animal,  formed  out  of 
their  own  baby  imaginations.  Then  come  the  coloured 
sands,  filled  in  the  spaces  with  red,  yellow,  or  blue,  ac- 
cording to  the  taste  and  fancy  of  the  particular  child 
artist.  But  the  most  extraordinary  and  most  fascinating 
thing  of  all  is  to  watch  the  performance  of  a  master  in 
sand-pictures.  So  dexterous  and  masterly  is  he  that  he  will 
dip  his  hand  first  into  a  bag  of  blue  sand,  and  then  into 
one  of  yellow,  allowing  the  separate  streams  to  trickle  out 
unmixed ;  and  then  with  a  slight  tremble  of  the  hand  these 
streams  will  be  quickly  converted  into  one  thin  stream  of 
bright  green,  relapsing  again  into  the  streams  of  blue  and 
yellow  at  a  moment's  notice. 

A  Japanese  mother  will  take  infinite  pains  to  cultivate 
the  artistic  propensities  of  her  child,  and  almost  the  first 
lesson  she  teaches  it  is  to  appreciate  the  beauties  of  nature. 
She  will  never  miss  the  opportunity  of  teaching  the  infant 
to  enjoy  the  cherry-blossom  on  a  sunny  day  in  Ueno 
Park.  Hundreds  of  such  little  parties  are  to  be  seen 
under  the  trees  enjoying  the  blossom,  while  the  mother 
seated  in  the  middle  of  the  group  points  out  the  many 
beauties  of  the  scene.  She  will  tell  them  dainty  fairy 
stories — to  the  boys,  brave  deeds  of  valour,  to  strengthen 
their  courage  ;  to  the  girls,  tales  of  unselfish  and  honour- 
able wives  and  mothers.  Every  story  has  a  moral 
attached  to  it,  and  is  intended  to  educate  and  improve  the 
children  in  one  direction  or  another. 


THE  GEISHA 

MORTIMER  MEMPES 

THE  geisha  begins  her  career  at  a  very  early  age. 
When  only  two  or  three  years  old  she  is  taught  to 
sing  and  dance  and  talk,  and  above  all  to  be  able 
to  listen  sympathetically,  which  is  the  greatest  art  of  all. 
The  career  of  this  tiny  mite  is  carved  out  thus  early  be- 
cause her  mother  foresees  that  she  has  the  qualities  that 
will  develop,  and  the  little  butterfly  child,  so  gay  and  so 
brilliant,  will  become  a  still  more  gorgeous  butterfly 
woman.  Nothing  can  be  too  brilliant  for  the  geisha  ;  she 
is  the  life  and  soul  of  Japan,  the  merry  sparkling  side  of 
Japanese  life ;  she  must  be  always  gay,  always  laughing 
and  always  young  ever  to  the  end  of  her  life.  But  for  the 
girl  who  is  to  become  the  ordinary  domesticated  wife  it  is 
different.  Starting  life  as  a  bright,  light-hearted  child,  she 
becomes  sadder  and  sadder  in  colour  and  in  spirits  with 
every  passing  year.  Directly  she  becomes  a  wife,  her  one 
ambition  is  to  become  old — in  fact  it  is  almost  a  craze  with 
her.  She  shows  it  in  every  possible  way — in  the  way  she 
ties  her  obi,  the  fashion  in  which  she  dresses  her  hair; 
everything  that  suggests  the  advance  of  the  sere  and  yellow 
leaf  she  will  eagerly  adopt.  When  her  huband  gives  a 
party,  he  calls  in  the  geisha ;  she  herself,  poor  dear,  sits 

239 


240  JAPAN 

up-stairs  on  a  mat  and  is  not  allowed  to  be  seen.  She  is 
called  the  "  honoured  interior/'  and  is  far  too  precious  and 
refined  to  figure  in  public  life. 

The  geisha  in  reality  is  a  little  genius,  perfectly  brilliant 
as  a  talker,  and  mistress  of  the  art  of  dancing.  But  she 
knows  that  the  Westerner  does  not  appreciate  or  under- 
stand her  fine  classical  dancing  and  singing,  and  she  is  so 
refined  and  so  charming  that  she  will  not  allow  you  to  feel 
that  you  are  ignorant  and  more  or  less  vulgar  but  will 
instantly  begin  to  amuse  you  in  some  way  that  she  thinks 
you  will  enjoy  and  understand.  She  will  perhaps  unfold 
paper  and  draw  rapid  character-sketches  of  birds  and  fish, 
or  dance  a  sort  of  spirited  dance  that  she  feels  will  enter- 
tain you.  It  is  very  seldom  that  they  will  show  you  their 
fine  classical  dances ;  but  if  by  good  fortune  you  can  over- 
persuade  them,  as  I  have  done,  the  sight  is  one  that  you 
will  never  forget — the  slow,  dignified  movements,  the 
placing  of  the  foot  and  the  hand,  the  exquisite  curves  and 
poses  of  the  body,  forming  a  different  picture  every  time, — 
all  is  a  joy  and  a  perfect  intellectual  treat  to  the  artist  and 
to  the  lover  of  beautiful  things.  There  is  no  rushing 
about,  no  accordion  skirt  and  high  kick,  nothing  that  in 
any  way  resembles  the  Western  dance. 

Sometimes,  if  she  finds  that  you  appreciate  the  fine  work, 
the  geisha  will  give  you  imitations  of  the  dancing  on  our  stage 
at  home,  and  although  it  is  very  funny,  the  coarseness  of 
it  strikes  you  forcibly.  One  never  dines  out  or  is  enter- 
tained in  Japan  without  the  geisha  forming  a  prominent 


THE  GEISHA  241 

part  of  the  entertainment ;  in  fact,  she  herself  decorates  the 
room  where  you  are  dining,  just  as  a  flower  or  picture 
would  decorate  our  dining-rooms  at  home,  only  better. 
And  there  is  nothing  more  typical  of  the  decorative  sense 
innate  in  the  Japanese  than  the  little  garden  of  geisha  girls, 
which  almost  invariably  forms  the  background  of  every  tea- 
house dinner.  The  dinner  itself,  with  its  pretty  doll-tables, 
its  curious  assortment  of  dainty  viands  set  in  red  lacquer 
bowls,  its  quaint  formalities,  and  the  magnificent  ceremonial 
costumes  of  its  hosts,  is  an  artistic  scheme,  elaborately 
thought  out  and  prepared.  But  when,  at  the  close,  the 
troupe  of  geishas  and  mai'kos  appears,  forming  (as  it  were) 
a  pattern  of  gorgeous  tropical  flowers,  the  scene  becomes  a 
bit  of  decoration  as  daring,  original  and  whimsically  beau- 
tiful as  any  to  be  seen  in  this  land  of  natural  "  placing  " 
and  artistic  design  and  effect.  The  colours  of  kimonos, 
obis,  fans,  and  head-ornaments  blend,  contrast  and  produce 
a  carefully-arranged  harmony,  the  whole  converging  to  a 
centre  of  attraction,  a  grotesque,  fascinating,  exotic  figure, 
the  geisha  of  geishas — that  vermilion-and-gold  girl  who 
especially  seizes  me.  She  is  a  bewildering  symphony  in 
vermilion  orange  and  gold.  Her  kimono  is  vermilion  em- 
broidered in  great  dragons ;  her  obi  is  cloth  of  gold ;  her 
long  hanging  sleeves  are  lined  with  orange.  Just  one  little 
slim  slip  of  apple-green  appears  above  the  golden  fold  of 
the  obi  and  accentuates  the  harmony  ;  it  is  the  crape  cord 
of  the  knapsack  which  bulges  the  loops  at  the  back  and 
gives  the  Japanese  curve  of  grace.  The  little  apple-green 


242  JAPAN 

cord  keeps  the  obi  in  place,  and  is  the  discord  which  makes 
the  melody. 

My  vermilion  girl's  hair  is  brilliant  black  with  blue 
lights,  and  shining  where  it  is  stiffened  and  gummed  in 
loops  and  bands  till  they  seem  to  reflect  the  gold  lacquer 
and  coral-tipped  pins  that  bristle  round  her  head.  Yes,  she 
is  like  some  wonderful,  fantastical,  tropical  blossom,  that 
vermilion  geisha  girl,  or  like  some  hitherto  unknown  and 
gorgeous  dragon-fly.  And  she  is  charming  ;  so  sweetly, 
simply,  candidly  alluring.  Every  movement  and  gesture, 
each  rippling  laugh,  each  fan-flutter,  each  wave  of  her  rice- 
powdered  arms  from  out  of  their  wing-like  sleeves,  is  a 
joyous  and  naive  appeal  for  admiration  and  sympathy. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  ITS  CUSTOMS 

MARCUS  B.  HUISH 

THE  Japanese  house  principally  differs  from  that  of 
other  nations  in  its  want  of  substantiality.  It  is 
.  fixed  to  no  foundation,  for  it  merely  rests  upon 
unhewn  stones  placed  at  intervals  beneath  it,  and  it  usually 
consists  of  a  panel-work  of  wood,  either  unpainted  or 
painted  black  on  the  interior  face ;  sometimes  it  is  of 
plaster,  but  this  is  the  exception.  Its  roof  is  either  shin- 
gled, tiled,  or  thatched  with  hay  (kayo].  No  chimneys 
break  its  skyline,  for  fires  are  seldom  used.  Where  they 
are,  their  smoke  issues  from  a  hole  left  at  the  top  of  the 
angle  of  the  gable.  The  worst  side  of  the  house  is  usually 
turned  towards  the  street,  the  artistic  towards  the  garden. 
The  houses,  as  a  rule,  evidence  the  fact  that  the  nation  is 
poor,  and  that  the  Japanese  does  not  launch  out  beyond  his 
means,  or  what  he  can  reinstate  when  it  is  destroyed,  as  it 
most  probably  will  be  during  his  lifetime,  by  fire  or  earth- 
quake. Two  at  least  of  the  sides  of  the  house  have  no 
permanent  walls,  and  the  same  applies  to  almost  every  par- 
tition in  the  interior.  These  are  merely  screens  fitting  into 
grooves,  which  admit  of  easy  and  frequent  removal. 
Those  on  the  exterior,  which  are  called  shoji,  are  generally 
covered  with  white  paper,  so  as  to  allow  the  light  to  pene- 

243 


244  JAPAN 

trate  ;  the  shadows  thrown  upon  these,  when  the  light  is 
inside,  find  many  a  place  in  the  pages  of  the  caricaturists. 
The  interior  screens  are  of  thick  paper,  and  are  usually 
decorated  with  paintings.  The  rooms  in  the  house  are  for 
the  most  part  small  and  low;  one  can  almost  always  easily 
touch  the  ceilings.  The  size  of  each  is  planned  out  most 
accurately  according  to  the  number  of  mats  which  it  will 
take  to  cover  the  floor.  These  mats  are  always  of  the 
same  size,  namely,  about  seventy-two  inches  by  thirty-six 
inches.  The  rooms  are  also  rectangular  and  without  re- 
cesses, save  in  the  guest-room,  where  there  are  two,  called 
toko-noma  and  cbigai-dana.  In  the  toko-noma  are  hung  the 
kakemono,  or  pictures,  and  on  its  floor,  which  is  raised  above 
the  rest  of  the  compartment,  vases  with  flowers,  an  in- 
cense-burner, a  figure  of  the  household  god,  etc.,  are 
placed. 

The  cbigai-dana  is  used  as  a  receptacle  for  everything 
which  we  put  in  a  cupboard.  As  a  rule,  it  is  fitted  at  the 
top  with  shelves,  and  below  with  a  cupboard — the  former 
for  the  reception  of  the  kakemono  which  are  not  in  use, 
makemono  or  rolls,  lacquer  boxes,  etc.,  and  the  latter  for 
stowing  away  the  bedding. 

Almost  every  Japanese  house  has  a  veranda,  which  is  al- 
most a  necessity  where  heavy  rain  is  frequent  and  the  sides 
of  the  house  are  composed  of  fragile  materials  such  as  the 
sboji.  Round  this  veranda,  therefore,  wooden  screens  called 
amado  are  placed  at  night  and  in  the  rainy  season;  these  are 
fixed  into  grooves,  and  slide  along. 


JAPANESE  INTERIOR,  WITH  ARRANGEMENT  OF  WINTER  FLOWERS. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  ITS  CUSTOMS  245 

No  expensive  paintwork,  in  feeble  imitation  of  the  wood 
it  covers,  stands  ready  to  chip  and  scratch  and  look  shabby. 
Everything  remains  as  it  left  the  carpenter's  plane,  usually 
smoothed  but  not  polished.  If  the  workman  thought  the 
bark  upon  the  wood  was  pretty,  he  would  probably  leave 
even  this,  and  he  would  certainly  make  no  attempt  to  re- 
move any  artistic  markings  caused  by  the  ravages  of  a  worm 
or  larvae. 

Besides  the  guest-room,  there  was  usually  a  special  room 
set  apart  for  the  cha-no-yu^  or  tea  ceremony ;  this  was  not 
always  in  the  building,  but  often  one  apart  from  the  house 
in  the  garden.  The  cha-no-yu  had  its  origin  three  hundred 
years  ago.  A  code  of  rules  was  formulated  for  its  observ- 
ance, against  which  there  was  no  appeal ;  it  inculcated 
morality,  good  fellowship,  politeness,  social  equality,  and 
simplicity.  "  The  members  of  the  association  were,"  as 
Mr.  Anderson  says,  "  the  critics  and  connoisseurs,  whose 
dicta  consecrated  or  condemned  the  labours  of  artist  or 
author,  and  established  canons  of  taste,  to  which  all  works, 
to  be  successful  in  their  generation,  must  conform."  The 
seances  constituted  symposia  in  which  abstruse  questions  of 
philosophy,  literature,  and  art  were  discussed  from  the 
standpoint  of  acknowledged  authority. 

Persons  in  Japan  who  wish  to  start  housekeeping  are 
saved  one  great  expense,  namely,  furnishing.  No  carpets, 
tables,  bedsteads,  wardrobes,  or  cupboards  find  a  place  in 
their  requirements.  Nor  does  the  Japanese  require  chairs, 
for  he  is  only  comfortable  when  resting  on  his  knees  and 


246  JAPAN 

heels  on  a  cushion  (zabutori) ;  and  he  must  have  his  hibachi 
or  fire  vessel,  and  his  tobako-bon,  or  tobacco-tray.  The 
hibachi  is  a  portable  fire-place,  which  throws  out  a  slight 
heat,  and  also  serves  as  a  source  whence  to  light  the  pipe. 
It  contains  small  pieces  of  charcoal.  According  to  the  ex- 
haustive work  of  Professor  Morse  on  Japanese  Homes, 
whenever  a  caller  comes,  the  first  act  of  hospitality, 
whether  in  winter  or  summer,  is  to  place  the  hibachi  before 
him.  Even  in  shops  it  is  brought  in  and  placed  on  a  mat 
when  the  visitor  enters.  At  a  winter  party  one  is  assigned 
to  each  guest,  and  the  place  where  each  is  to  sit  is  indicated 
by  a  square  cloth  cushion.  The  tobako-bon  is  also  handed 
to  a  visitor ;  it  contains  a  small  earthen  jar  for  holding 
charcoal.  The  baskets  used  for  holding  the  charcoal  for 
the  hibachi  and  tobako-bon  are  often  very  artistically  made. 
The  only  other  articles  of  furniture  will  be  the  kotatsu,  a 
square  wooden  frame,  which  in  winter  is  placed  over  the 
hibachi  or  stove,  and  is  covered  with  a  large  wadded  quilt  or 
futon  (under  this  the  whole  family  huddle  for  warmth),  the 
pillow  (makura),  and  the  lantern  (andon)  which  feebly  il- 
lumines the  apartment.  No  Japanese  would  think  of  sleep- 
ing without  having  this  burning  throughout  the  night. 

All  houses  were  until  lately  (1889)  lit  at  night  by 
lanterns,  but  now  paraffine  lamps  are  driving  them  out  and 
assisting  to  increase  the  fires.  Owing  to  the  frequent  visi- 
tation of  fire,  to  which  Japanese  towns  and  villages  are 
subject,  almost  every  house  of  any  importance  possesses  a 
kura,  or  "  godown,"  a  fireproof  isolated  building,  in  which 


THE  HOUSE  AND  ITS  CUSTOMS  247 

all  the  valuables  are  kept.  Fires  are  so  constantly  occur- 
ring that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  take  up  a  number 
of  a  Japanese  weekly  paper  without  more  than  one 
notification  that  several  hundred  houses  have  been  de- 
stroyed. 

The  consumption  of  lanterns  in  Japan  is  enormous, 
without  counting  the  export  trade.  Every  house  has 
dozens  for  internal  use  and  for  going  out  at  night.  These 
latter  are  placed  in  a  rack  in  the  hall ;  each  bears  the 
owner's  name  in  Chinese  characters,  or  his  crest,  in  red  or 
black  on  a  white  ground.  One  burns  outside  most  houses 
and  shops,  and  every  foot-passenger  carries  one.  No  fes- 
tival is  complete  without  thousands  of  them. 

Smoking  is  a  universal  habit  with  the  Japanese.  It  be- 
gins, interrupts,  and  ends  his  day.  The  pipes  used  are 
very  small  in  the  bowl,  and  only  hold  sufficient  tobacco  for 
three  or  four  whiffs  ;  these  are  swallowed  and  expelled 
through  the  nostrils.  In  consequence  of  their  tiny  capacity 
they  are  often  taken  for  opium  pipes ;  upon  them  and  the 
tobacco-pouch,  artists  lavish  all  their  skill. 

Many,  perhaps  the  majority  of  the  objects  which  come 
to  Europe  are  utensils  for  food  ;  it  may  therefore  be  inter- 
esting to  describe  a  meal  in  a  well-to-do  house.  Herr 
Rein  says  that  each  person  is  served  separately  on  a  small 
table  or  tray.  For  solid  food,  he  uses  chopsticks,  but  his 
soup  he  drinks  from  a  small  lacquered  bowl.  Upon  his 
table  will  be  found  a  small  porcelain  bowl  of  rice,  and 
dishes  upon  which  are  relishes  of  fish,  etc.;  a  tea-pot,  for 


248  JAPAN 

the  contents  of  which  a  saucer  instead  of  a  cup  is  used. 
The  stimulants  will  be  either  tea  (cha]  or  rice  beer  (sake). 
The  tea  is  native  green,  and  no  milk  or  sugar  is  used ;  it  is 
drunk  on  every  possible  occasion,  and  is  even  served  when 
one  visits  a  shop.  The  tea  apparatus  (cha-dogu)  is  always  in 
readiness  in  the  living-room,  viz.,  a  brazier  with  live  coals 
(hibachi))  tray  (ban)  tea-pot  (dobin  or  cha-bin)^  cups  (cba-wan) 
and  a  tea-caddy  (cha-ire).  So  too  a  labourer  going  to  work 
carries  with  him  a  bento  of  lacquered  wood  for  his  rice,  a 
kettle,  a  tea-caddy,  a  tea-pot,  a  cup,  and  chopstick  (hasht). 
The  sake  contains  a  certain  amount  of  fusel  oil,  and  is  in- 
toxicating ;  it  is  usually  drunk  warm  from  sake  cups,  which 
may  be  either  of  lacquer  or  porcelain.  Rice  being  the  prin- 
cipal condiment,  a  servant  kneels  by  with  a  large  pailful,  and 
replenishes  the  bowls  as  they  are  held  out  to  her;  it  is  eaten 
at  almost  every  meal,  the  only  substitute  being  groats  made 
out  of  millet,  barley,  or  wheat.  Bread  is  seldom  used. 
Other  favourite  edibles  are  gigantic  radishes  (daikon),  which 
frequently  figure  in  Art,  lotus  roots,  young  bamboo  shoots, 
cucumbers,  of  which  a  single  person  will  often  consume 
three  or  four  a  day ;  so,  too,  the  dark  violet  fruit  of  the 
egg-plant,  and  fungi  (the  subject  of  frequent  illustration) 
are  eaten  at  almost  every  meal.  With  fruits  the  Japanese 
is  sparsely  supplied  ;  his  grapes,  peaches,  pears  and  walnuts 
will  not  compare  with  Western  specimens,  but  the  persim- 
mon, with  which  the  ape  is  always  associated,  and  which  is 
always  cropping  up  in  fairy  stories,  a  brillant  orange- 
coloured  fruit,  the  size  of  an  apple,  is  common  enough ; 


THE  HOUSE  AND  ITS  CUSTOMS  249 

the  tree  grows  to   a  large  size,  and  holds  its  fruit  in  the 
autumn  even  after  it  has  lost  its  leaves. 

The  wife  eats  separately  from  her  husband  in  another 
room  with  the  rest  of  the  females,  and  holds  a  position  lit- 
tle higher  than  that  of  an  upper  servant. 

No  notice  of  a  Japanese  house  would  be  complete  without 
some  reference  to  the  incense-burners  (ko-ro),  which  find  a 
place  there,  and  also  in  Buddhist  temples.  An  article  which 
finds  a  place  in  most  houses  and  in  all  shops  and  is  constantly 
depicted  in  Art  is  the  soroban,  a  frame  enclosing  rows  of 
balls  moving  on  wires  by  which  accounts  and  calculations 
are  made.  Another  article  which  is  constantly  being  drawn 
is  a  besom,  which  must  typify  industry.  In  this  respect  the 
Jap  is  singularly  clean,  as  every  evening  there  is  a  simulta- 
neous and  universal  sweeping  up  of  the  fronts  of  the  houses. 
Hokusai  is  very  fond  of  drawing  persons  sweeping, 
especially  falling  leaves.  The  old  couple,  Giotomba,1 
always  have  a  broom  and  rake. 

Picnicing  is  one  of  the  favourite  and  the  mildest  of  the 
out-door  amusements.  It  is  indulged  in  by  all  classes  and 
at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  At  stated  times  the  roads  lead- 
ing from  the  large  towns  are  thronged  with  animated  and 
joyous  crowds  proceeding  to  some  favourite  haunt.  The 
excuses  for  picnicing  are  many  and  various.  For  instance  : 
upon  a  certain  day  in  January  all  the  world  sallies  forth  to 
gather  seven  different  kinds  of  grasses,  which  upon  the  re- 
turn home,  are  made  into  a  salad. 

'An  old  man  and  woman,  spirits  of  the  pine. 


THE  JAPANESE  HEARTH 

SIR  EDWIN  ARNOLD 

I  DO  not  remember  that  anybody  has  ever  yet,  in  de- 
scribing Japan,  done  any  sort  of  sufficient  justice  to  the 
immense  and  important  part  borne  by  the  hibachi  in  the 
domestic  life  of  this  people.  Tourists,  travellers,  and  corre- 
spondents casually,  indeed,  mention  the  article,  as  something 
special  to  Japan,  but  forget  to  say  how  the  entire  existence 
of  the  Japanese  centres  in  this  very  peculiar  little  institu- 
tion. The  hibachi  is  a  fire-box,  of  which  the  simplest  form 
is  that  of  a  square,  or  circular,  or  oblong  receptacle  of 
wood  lined  with  sheet-copper.  Into  this  a  quantity  of 
lime-dust,  or  sifted  ashes,  is  put,  and  on  the  top  of  that  a  little 
pile  of  lighted  charcoal,  which  burns  slowly  and  steadily 
upon  the  fine  ashes,  giving  out  heat,  but  not  a  vestige  of 
smoke.  This  is  the  primitive  and  plainest  form  of  the 
"  fire-box,"  such  as  will  be  seen  in  use  for  common  pur- 
poses, at  railway  stations,  in  Kuruma-sheds,  in  wayside  tea- 
houses and  restaurants,  and  in  unpretentious  shops.  But 
Japanese  skill  and  taste  love  to  lavish  themselves  on  this 
central  piece  of  domestic  furniture,  and  you  see  hibachis^ 
accordingly,  of  all  forms  and  materials.  Some  are  made  of 
hammered  copper,  or  brass,  or  iron,  with  patterns  delicately 
and  beautifully  beaten  out  of  the  burnished  metal.  Some  I 

250 


THE  JAPANESE  HEARTH         251 

have  seen  in  great  houses  contrived  from  the  root  of  a  vast 
tree,  the  gnarled  and  knotted  timber  being  laboriously  hol- 
lowed out  and  lined  with  copper,  and  the  exterior  carefully 
polished  to  bring  forth  the  beauty  of  the  grain.  These 
fantastic  "  fire-boxes  "  are  in  much  vogue  for  country  vil- 
las and  smoking-rooms.  The  hibachi  for  daily  home  service 
must  be  useful  before  all  things,  and  the  general  shape  of  it 
is,  as  I  have  said,  that  of  an  oblong  box,  about  two  feet  in 
length  by  fourteen  inches  broad  and  a  foot  deep.  Two- 
thirds  of  the  length  of  this  structure  is  occupied  by  the 
fire-box  proper,  lined  with  metal,  and  laid  with  carefully 
sifted  ashes,  upon  which  glows  the  little  nest  of  red  sumi- 
sticks.  Upon  the  top  of  that  will  be  placed  a  four-legged 
frame  of  iron,  which  supports  the  bronze  kettle,  the  tea-pot, 
and,  at  need,  a  small  gridiron  of  wire,  or  a  glazed  frying- 
pan  in  which  fish  are  stewed  or  fried,  or  else  the  earthen 
dish  whereupon  the  inmates  roast  their  bean-cakes,  or  the 
slices  of  daikon.  The  remainder  of  the  hibachi  is  made  up 
of  clever  little  drawers,  and  unsuspected  compartments, 
where  the  lady  of  the  house — whose  special  possession  the 
"  fire-box  "  is — keeps  a  world  of  things  which  profit  by 
being  dry,  her  biscuits,  her  paper  for  accounts,  needles  and 
thread,  kanzashis,  combs,  tea,  chopsticks,  and  what  not. 
Thus  this  piece  of  furniture  is  at  one  and  the  same  moment 
the  household  hearth,  the  larder,  the  work-box,  the  writing- 
case,  the  toilette-stand,  the  kitchen,  and  the  natural  centre 
for  the  family  of  conversation,  employment,  and  needle- 
work. But  it  may  combine  these  with  ever  so  much  beauty 


252  JAPAN 

and  richness  of  external  decoration,  and  it  is  common  to 
see  the  hibachi  built  of  very  beautiful  striped  and  variegated 
woods,  its  drawers  and  compartments  delicately  adorned  with 
chased  handles  and  placques  of  silver  or  bronze  metal, 
while  neat  little  mats  of  plaited  grass  or  embroidered  velvet 
are  laid  upon  the  highly  honoured  part  where  the  tea-pot  of 
porcelain  and  the  pretty  small  painted  tea-cups  usually 
stand.  Sometimes  a  table  for  writing  and  working  is 
ingeniously  blended  with  the  other  conveniences,  and  there 
is  one  special  form  of  hibacbi,  used  for  imparting  heat  in 
cold  weather,  which  is  closed  in  with  a  lattice  of  light  wood- 
work all  around.  You  can  cover  this  over  vf\t\\  futons,  or  bed- 
rugs,  and  warm  the  hands  and  feet  in  the  confined  glow,  or, 
on  frosty  nights,  you  can  put  it  boldly  and  bodily  under  the 
bed-clothes,  and  derive  from  it  all  the  advantage  of  a  per- 
manent warming-pan.  Then  there  is  the  tobacco-mono, 
another  special  form  of  the  hibacbi,  but  entirely  devoted  to 
the  eternal  kiseru,  the  small  pipe  of  brass  and  bamboo  in 
which  the  Japanese  perpetually  indulge.  This  is  a  kind  of 
smaller  fire-box,  with  a  bed  of  ashes  for  the  ever-glowing 
charcoal,  a  couple  of  drawers  for  the  delicately  cut  fragrant 
tobacco,  and  a  little  compartment  where  the  brass  and  sil- 
ver tipped  pipes  repose  while  not  in  use.  There  is  a  cover, 
with  an  opening,  for  the  charcoal,  and  a  handle  by  which 
the  tobacco-mono  is  carried  about ;  for  it  accompanies  the 
owner  everywhere — to  bed,  to  breakfast,  to  dinner — on  all 
occasions;  and  next  to  the  sliding  of  the  shoji,  the  most  uni- 
versal sound  heard,  perhaps,  in  Japan,  is  the  tapping  of  the 


THE  JAPANESE  HEARTH          253 

little  kiseru  on  the  edge  of  the  tobacco-box,  when,  for  the 
hundredth  time  during  the  day,  the  little  pipe  has  been  filled, 
and  lighted,  and  the  one  full  puff — "  ippuku  " — taken,  which 
satisfies  the  refined  and  delicate  desires  of  the  Nippon 
smoker. 

You  must  realize  then,  or  try  to  realize,  the  prodigious 
import  and  positive  universality  of  the  domestic  "fire-box" 
in  Japan.  There  must  exist  at  least  as  many  as  the  inhabit- 
ants of  the  country — that  is  to  say,  about  40,000,000. 
Every  shop  has  one  in  front  of  its  shelves  and  bales,  and 
every  tea-house  or  hotel  keeps  them  by  the  score,  because 
the  first  thing  brought  to  a  traveller,  or  customer,  on 
arrival,  is  the  ktbacki,  either  to  warm  him,  or  to  furnish  a 
chronic  light  for  his  pipe,  or  simply  from  habit  and  hospi- 
tality. The  tradesmen  and  those  who  come  to  buy  at  his 
shop  gather  over  the  bronze  fire-box  to  discuss  prices,  and 
at  a  dinner-party  a  hibachi  is  placed  between  every  pair  of 
guests.  In  the  interior  of  an  ordinary  Japanese  home, 
however,  one  sees  the  national  institution  in  its  simplest 
use.  There  it  stands,  always  lighted,  at  least  during  the 
autumn  and  winter  months,  and  in  its  copper  receptacle  the 
bed  of  ashes,  and  the  glowing  nest  of  genial  fire.  It  is 
good  to  see  with  what  dainty  care  the  Japanese  dame  will 
pick  up,  stick  by  stick,  and  fragment  by  fragment,  the 
precious  pieces  of  charcoal  which  have  fallen  from  off  the 
central  fire  !  With  what  delicate  skill  she  builds  a  little 
dome  or  peak  over  the  tiny  crater  of  the  domestic  volcano, 
arranging  and  distributing  !  With  what  silent  interest 


254  JAPAN 

everybody  watches  her  purse  up  her  lips,  and  gently  but 
persistently  blow  upon  the  sleeping  fire  till  the  scarlet  life 
of  it  creeps  from  the  central  spark  into  every  grey  and 
black  bit  of  the  heap,  and  the  bibachi  is  once  more  in  high 
activity.  Then  the  hands  of  the  household  meet  over  the 
kindly  warmth,  for  this  is  the  only  "  hearth  "  of  the  domi- 
cile, and  when  the  palms  and  wrists  are  warm  all  the  body 
will  be  comfortable.  There  are  little  square  cushions  laid 
all  around  the  fire-box,  and  upon  this  we  kneel  and  chat. 
You  must  drop  nothing  into  that  sacred  centre  in  the  way 
of  cigar-ends,  stumps  of  matches,  or  cigarette-paper ;  it  is 
the  Vestal  Fire,  not  to  be  violated  by  disrespectful  fuel. 
But  you  may  put  the  tetsubin  on  it,  and  boil  the  "  honour- 
able hot  water,"  or  fry  peas  over  it,  or  cook  little  fishes,  or 
stew  slices  of  orange  and  persimmon,  and  in  fact  treat  it  as 
a  supplementary  kitchen  to  the  larger  and  permanent  hearth 
established  in  the  daidokoro.  Every  now  and  then  the  mis- 
tress of  the  house,  who  has  the  seat  of  honour  before  it, 
controlling  the  supply  of  sumi  and  the  brass  bashij  with 
which  the  fire-box  is  tended,  will  delicately  and  economic- 
ally pick  out  with  them  from  the  brass  basket  at  her  side, 
a  nodule  or  two  more  of  charcoal,  and  place  these  on  the 
sinking  fire,  treating  her  sumi-hako,  or  charcoal-store,  as 
elegantly  and  sparingly  as  a  London  lady  would  the  sugar- 
basin. 

Confess  that  it  is  a  mark  of  the  refined  natural  life  of 
this  people,  that  they  have  thus  for  their  family  hearth- 
stove  a  pretty  piece  of  cabinet-work  lined  with  copper,  and 


THE  JAPANESE  HEARTH         255 

for  their  coal-cellar  a  tiny  flower-basket  filled  with  a  hand- 
ful of  clean  picked  charcoal !  You  might  place  the  entire 
affair  on  the  toilet  table  of  a  duchess,  and  not  spoil  or  soil 
one  lappet  of  her  laces,  or  leave  one  speck  of  dust  upon  her 
mirrors  and  her  dressing-bags.  Japan  in  her  social  aspects 
is  already,  in  truth,  half  understood  when  the  universal  use 
and  the  graceful  utility  of  the  hibachi  have  thoroughly  be- 
come comprehended. 

One  happy  consequence  of  this  omnipresent  employment 
of  charcoal  for  domestic  and  culinary  purposes  is  that  Japa- 
nese cities,  villages,  and  abodes  are  perfectly  free  from 
smoke.  The  clear  air  is  always  unpolluted  by  those  clouds 
of  defacing  and  degrading  black  smuts  which  blot  out  our 
rare  sunshine  in  London,  and  help  to  create  its  horrible 
fogs.  There  is  no  doubt  a  peril  of  a  special  kind  in  the 
fire-box.  If  not  supplied  from  the  kitchen  hearth  with 
glowing  coals  already  past  their  first  firing,  there  will  be  a 
constant  efflux  of  carbonic  acid  gas  into  the  room,  which 
will  kill  you,  subtly  and  slowly,  as  certainly  as  an  overdose 
of  opium.  In  European  apartments  this  would  prove  a 
very  serious  danger,  but  the  shojl  and  sliding  doors  of  wood 
let  in  so  many  little  sources  of  ventilation — and  the  rats, 
moreover,  take  care  to  gnaw  so  many  holes  in  the  paper  of 
the  mado — that  the  fatal  gas  becomes  dispelled  or  diluted  as 
fast  as  it  is  created.  Nevertheless  accidents  occur,  espe- 
cially in  bath-rooms  where  the  fune,  or  great  tub,  is  heated 
by  a  large  mass  of  raw  charcoal,  and  there  was  a  case  a 
week  ago  in  Yokohama  of  a  sea-captain  found  dead  in  the 


256  JAPAN 

furo-do  of  his  hotel.  The  Japanese  are  too  wise  to  sleep 
with  a  large  hibachi  in  their  apartments.  They  know  well 
that  the  deadly  gas,  being  heavy,  sinks  to  the  bottom  of  the 
room,  where  their  futons  are  spread  upon  the  mats ;  and 
they  either  put  the  fire-box  outside,  or  are  careful  to  see 
that  it  has  "  honourable  mature  charcoal  "  burning  low  in  it. 


GARDENS 

jT.  J.  REIN 

ENCLOSED  fruit  and  vegetable  gardens,  such  as  are 
usually  found  with  us  around  the  dwelling,  are  un- 
known   to    the    Japanese.     He    plants   his  Yasai- 
mono  (vegetables)  on  the  Hatake,  or  Sai-yen,  the  vegetable 
ground  in  the  open  field.      He  calls  the  fenced  tree-nursery 
Uye-gomi,  and  the  little  ornamental  garden,  commonly  be- 
hind the  house,  Niwa  (Sono  is  the  poetical  expression)  or 
Ko-yen.     It  is  the  Niwa  which  chiefly  interests  us. 

Siebold  says  that  even  in  the  large  cities  there  is  scarcely 
a  house  which  has  not  its  garden,  or  at  least  a  court  adorned 
with  one  or  more  evergreen  trees.  This  idea  has  become 
very  prevalent,  but  it  is  nevertheless  erroneous.  Extensive 
journeys  through  different  portions  of  the  three  principal 
islands  of  Old  Japan,  and  the  numerous  observations  in 
cities  and  countries  have  convinced  me  that  only  a  small 
proportion  of  dwellings  have  any  ornamental  or  particu- 
larly cultivated  piece  of  ground  about  them,  and  that  these 
are  only  to  be  found  in  the  homes  of  the  cultured  and 
wealthy  classes.  Even  the  substitute  for  a  garden — the 
court  with  its  few  evergreen  trees  (more  properly  bushes) — 
although  frequently  seen,  is  still  only  an  exception.  The 
two  shrubs  which  are  found  most  often  in  these  narrow 

257 


258  JAPAN 

courtyards  are  the  Toshuro  (Raphis  flabelliformis),  a  kind  of 
fan  palm  about  two  inches  in  height,  and  even  more  gen- 
erally the  Nanten  (Nandina  domesticd),  a  bush  which  seldom 
grows  more  than  one  to  two  inches  high.  Its  trunk,  when 
old,  is  covered  with  a  rugged  bark.  It  bears  red  berry 
clusters  in  winter,  and  is  a  favourite  house-decoration  at 
the  New  Year. 

The  enclosures  of  gardens  and  parks  differ  greatly. 
They  are  whitewashed  mud  and  stone  walls,  palings 
generally  of  bamboo  cane  and  quickset  hedge.  Quickset 
hedges  are  seen  most  often  around  the  houses  of  the 
Samurai.  They  are  generally  very  carefully  cultivated 
and  trimmed  and  shut  off  a  small  garden  from  the  street. 
Oftentimes  a  pretty  bamboo  paling  takes  their  place,  but 
in  this  case  an  evergreen  thicket  grows  just  behind  it,  so 
as  to  hide  the  modest  dwelling  as  much  as  possible  from 
the  passers-by. 

It  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  flower  cultivation  and  the 
art  of  gardening  among  the  Japanese  received  their  first 
impulse  and  encouragement  from  Buddhist  priests.  For 
many  centuries  the  Chinese  had  cultivated  the  beautiful 
ornamental  plants  which  were  brought  from  China  to 
adorn  altars  and  graves,  temple  courts  and  holy  pools, 
gardens  and  parks;  also  the  plants  which,  like  the  peony 
and  lotus,  were  at  the  same  time  producers  of  valuable 
medicines.  In  the  enjoyment  of  the  beautiful  appearance 
and  prosperity  of  the  foreign  plants,  interest  in  the 
indigenous  flora  increased  also,  and  its  finest  specimens 


GARDENS  259 

were  gradually  brought  into  cultivation  and  carefully 
reared. 

As  the  feudal  system  developed  in  Japan  and,  under  the 
rule  of  the  Tokugawa,  the  privileged  classes  enjoyed  their 
prerogatives  in  peace,  the  parks  surrounding  the  fortresses 
of  the  Daimios  and  their  Yashikis  in  Yedo  became  the 
gathering-place  of  various  ornamental  plants  which  had 
been  introduced  gradually  from  the  neighbouring  continent, 
and  principally  of  those  which  had  been  borrowed  from  the 
splendid  indigenous  flora.1  Every  Samurai  cultivated  as 
large  a  selection  as  space  would  permit  in  the  little  garden 
which  was  his  pleasure-ground,  but  the  nationality  of  the 
little  plants  after  so  many  digressions  was  unrecognizable. 

The  Japanese  ornamental  garden  is  not  intended  to  be 
an  abode,  but  merely  to  please  the  eye.  It  is  not  a  pleas- 
ure-garden or  jardln  <F  agr'ement  in  the  German  or  French 
sense,  but  it  has  its  own  peculiar  charm.  The  cosy 
arbour  which  is  hardly  ever  wanting  in  the  most  modest 
German  house  garden,  in  whose  shade  from  childhood  we 
pass  so  many  happy  hours  of  recreation  and  agreeable 
work,  is  not  to  be  found  in  the  Niwa.2  There  is  also  no 

'Most  of  these  very  interesting  large  parks  with  their  grand  old  tree- 
groups  and  tasteful  landscapes  of  rock  and  water,  avenues  and  lodges, 
their  many  sorts  of  fanciful  gardening,  pruning,  dwarfing  and  deforming, 
stone  turrets  and  idols,  were  destroyed  after  the  Restoration.  The  finest 
specimen  of  Japanese  landscape  gardening  now  to  be  seen  is  at  Fuki-age, 
the  Imperial  Garden  in  Tokio. 

8  The  Glycine  (  Wistaria  chinensis)  is  cultivated  here  and  there  on 
trellises,  but  not  in  order  to  afford  shade,  only  to  exhibit  better  the  hang- 
ing clusters  of  blossoms. 


26o  JAPAN 

fine,  carefully  kept  sward,  with  flower-beds  here  and  there, 
and  broad  gravel  walks.  But  there  is  often  a  great  deal  of 
taste  and  refinement  manifested  in  imitating  nature  and 
constructing  a  miniature  landscape.  If  the  limited  space 
will  not  permit  a  little  pond  in  which  gold  fishes  and  turtles 
may  comfortably  play  and  lotus  flowers  unfold  their  lovely 
leaves,  and  petals  in  midsummer,  there  is  nevertheless 
room  for  a  modest  water-basin,  with  small  red-bellied 
Imori  (Triton  subcristatus)  in  its  clear  bottom,  for  a  small 
arched  bridge  over  the  little  stream  flowing  from  it,  and  a 
pile  of  rocks.  On  a  somewhat  larger  plan,  this  becomes  a 
beautiful  cool  place  where  clear  rippling  water  flows  from 
a  little  mossy  grotto,  whose  arches  are  built  up  in  close 
imitation  of  mountain  rocks.  These  are  covered  with 
ferns  and  little  bushes  of  Tsutsuji  (Azalea  indica\  resem- 
bling our  alpine  roses,  being  clothed  in  early  summer  with 
red  blossoms;  and  further  with  the  beautiful  Daimiojiso 
(Saxifraga  cortustsfolia)  and  other  tastefully  distributed 
favourites  of  the  indigenous  flora.  A  little  cemented  basin 
or  trough  is  made  just  in  front  of  this  group  of  rocks, 
where  the  water  is  collected,  and  near  by  grows  the 
Giboshi  (Funkia  ovata)  its  bluish  green  leaf-tufts  covered  in 
late  summer  with  spikes  of  beautiful  bluish  white  flowers. 
The  narrow  paths  which  wind  through  a  Japanese  garden 
of  this  kind  are  paved  with  one  row  of  stone  slabs,  in 
which  all  regularity  of  form  is  avoided.  There  is  no  at- 
tempt to  make  the  edges  even.  Potted  plants  of  the  popular 
dwarfed  varieties  take  the  place  of  borders  on  both  sides. 


GARDENS  261 

Dwarfing  or  enlarging  one  part  at  the  expense  of  the 
other,  variegation  and  cultivation  of  every  accident  or 
trick  of  nature,  are,  as  has  been  intimated,  the  careful  oc- 
cupation of  the  Japanese  gardener.  He  distinguishes  him- 
self in  these  efforts,  and  even  becomes,  in  one  or  the 
other,  a  specialist.  He  works  with  great  enjoyment  to 
himself,  and  knows  also  that  he  is  pleasing  the  taste  of  his 
customers,  among  whom  he  counts  not  only  the  educated 
and  the  rich,  but  also  the  ordinary  labourer. 

The  Japanese  not  only  take  great  pleasure  in  this 
artificial  deformation,  but  they  admire  and  collect  also 
natural  malformations  of  every  kind.  They  admire  a 
stone,  for  example,  through  which  water  has  worn  a  hole, 
or  an  old  decaying  tree-trunk  with  one  or  more  plants 
growing  out  of  a  knothole  where  seeds  have  been  acciden- 
tally lodged. 

The  arrangement  and  colouring  of  bouquets  is  not  un- 
derstood by  the  Japanese.  The  separation  of  flowers  from 
their  stems  and  gathering  them  in  bunches  is  not  to  their 
taste.  They  admire  far  more  their  individual  beauty  and 
enjoy  their  natural  combinations, — the  lovely  blossoms 
(Hana)  and  leaves  (Ha)  on  their  stalks  (Ko-yeda)  or  slender 
twigs,  the  iris  and  the  lotus  flower  (Kuki).  One  would 
scarcely  suppose  that  under  such  circumstances  there  could 
be  such  a  thing  as  "  the  art  of  arranging  flowers  "  in  set 
pieces.  Nevertheless  Japanese  literature  possesses  under 
this  or  similar  titles  a  number  of  works  full  of  illustrations 
in  which,  however,  the  many  forms  of  Hana-ike  or  flower- 


262  JAPAN 

vase  play  a  conspicuous  part,  and  a  labouring  man,  obliged 
to  content  himself  with  a  cylinder  vase  of  bamboo  cane, 
or  an  earthen  vessel,  can  learn  but  little  to  his  advantage. 

The  enjoyment  of  beautiful  flowers  is  common  to  all 
the  Japanese  people.  Even  the  humble  labourer  is  a  cus- 
tomer at  the  gardens  where  flowers  are  kept  for  sale.  In 
view  of  this,  Hana-ichi,  or  flower-markets,  are  often  held 
on  summer  evenings,  lighted  with  torches  of  pitch  and 
many-coloured  lanterns.  They  attract  the  poorer  classes 
especially,  and  afford  them  an  opportunity  to  gain  a  flower- 
ing sprig  of  the  most  popular  plants,  which  bloom  at  this 
time. 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN 

JOSIAH  CONDER 

AMONG  the  many  general  impressions  which  exist 
abroad  with  regard  to  Japan,  is  one  that  it  is  a 
land  abounding  in  flowers, — that  nature  has  lav- 
ished her  floral  gifts  with  special  favour  upon  these  sunny 
islands  of  the  Far  East.  And  in  a  great  measure  is  this 
popular  fancy  justifiable,  considering  the  abundant  and  im- 
posing display  produced  by  flowering  trees  and  shrubs,  at 
certain  seasons  in  and  around  the  principal  cities.  In  the 
sense,  however,  of  wild  floral  profusion,  Japanese  scenery 
lacks  much  that  other  countries  can  boast.  The  traveller 
from  the  West,  whose  rural  wanderings  nearer  home  have 
made  him  familiar  with  furze  and  heather-clad  moors, 
green  flower-sprinkled  meadows,  and  hills  and  forests 
girdled  or  carpeted  with  flowering  plants,  will  miss  in 
Japan  some  of  these  charming  adornments  of  natural  land- 
scape. There  is  one  short  season  in  the  year,  when  the 
rice  is  young,  and  the  honey-scented  rape  blossom  spreads 
broad  stretches  of  yellow  colour  over  the  plains,  that  recalls 
to  the  mind  the  soft  flowering  verdure  of  other  lands ;  but 
the  rice  culture,  with  its  endless  terraces  of  mud  flats,  and 
the  coarse  bamboo  grass,  which  in  place  of  softer  mead 
covers  every  uncultivated  hill  and  glen,  deprive  the  scenery 

263 


264  JAPAN 

of  all  but  a  passing  suggestion  of  the  colouring  of  Western 
meadows  and  uplands.  The  comparative  scarcity  of  groups 
of  wild  flowering  plants  as  a  feature  in  the  landscape,  is, 
however,  to  some  extent  made  up  for  by  the  blossoming 
trees,  which  at  certain  seasons  show  soft  masses  of  colour 
amid  the  foliage  of  the  hillsides.  The  wild  camellia, 
azalea,  magnolia,  plum,  peach,  and  cherry  are  the  most 
important  of  these  flowering  trees.  In  particular  the  wild 
cherry,  which  abounds  in  the  Northern  island,  adds  to  the 
wooded  landscape  an  appearance  of  soft  clouds  of  pale, 
pearly  tint,  likened  to  mist  upon  the  mountains.  Al- 
most every  month  is  known  by  its  special  blossoms,  and  all 
the  important  cities  have  groves  and  gardens  devoted  to 
their  public  display.  Treasured  chiefly  as  heralds  of  the 
seasons,  and  as  inseparable  from  the  favourite  pursuits  and 
pastimes  of  out-door  life,  Japanese  flowers  are  by  no 
means  esteemed  in  proportion  to  their  scarcity  or  difficulty 
of  production.  The  isolated  merit  of  rarity,  so  much 
sought  after  in  the  West,  has  here  little  or  no  attraction. 
The  florists  of  the  country  are  not  deficient  in  floricultural 
skill,  and  produce  in  certain  blossoms  forms  of  considerable 
artificial  exuberance,  but  the  popular  taste  shows  a  parti- 
ality for  the  more  ordinary  and  familiar  flowers,  endeared 
by  custom  and  association. 

Flower-viewing  excursions,  together  with  such  pastimes 
as  Shell-gathering,  Mushroom-picking,  and  Moon-viewing, 
form  the  favourite  occupations  of  the  holiday  seeker 
throughout  the  year.  By  a  pretty  fancy,  the  snow-clad 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN        265 

landscape  is  regarded  as  Winter's  floral  display,  and  Snow- 
viewing  is  included  as  one  of  the  flower  festivals  of  the 
year.  The  Chinese  calendar,  followed  until  recently  by 
the  Japanese,  fitted  in  admirably  with  the  poetical  succes- 
sion of  flowers.  Spring,  the  Japanese  Haru,  opened  with 
the  New  Year,  which  commenced  about  February,  and  was 
heralded  by  the  appearance  of  the  plum  blossoms. 

Enriching  the  bare  landscape  with  its  bloom  and  filling 
the  air  with  its  fragrance  at  a  time  when  the  snow  of  win- 
ter has  hardly  passed  away,  the  blossoming  plum-tree  has 
come  to  be  regarded  with  especial  fondness  by  the  Jap- 
anese. Combined  with  the  evergreen  pine  and  bamboo,  it 
forms  a  floral  triad,  called  the  Sho-chiku-bai,  supposed  to  be 
expressive  of  enduring  happiness,  and  is  used  as  a  decora- 
tive symbol  on  congratulatory  occasions.  The  plum  blos- 
som is  often  referred  to  as  the  eldest  brother  of  the  hun- 
dred flowers,  being  the  earliest  to  bloom  in  the  year. 
Quick  in  seizing  the  peculiar  features  which  distinguish 
one  growth  from  another,  to  the  extent  almost  of  a  tend- 
ency to  caricature  them,  the  Japanese  have  been  chiefly  at- 
tracted by  the  rugged  and  angular  character  of  the  plum- 
tree,  its  stiff,  straight  shoots,  and  sparse,  studded  arrange- 
ment of  buds  and  blossoms.  Thus,  a  fancy  has  arisen  for 
the  oldest  trees  which  exhibit  these  characteristics  to  per- 
fection. In  them  is  shown  the  striking  contrast  of  bent 
and  crabbed  age  with  fresh  and  vigorous  youth  ;  and,  as  if 
to  render  more  complete  this  ideal,  it  is  held  that  the  plum- 
tree  is  best  seen  in  bud  and  not  in  full  blossom. 


266  JAPAN 

The  gardeners  of  the  country,  so  clever  in  the  training 
of  miniature  trees,  find  in  the  plum  a  favourite  object  for 
their  skill,  imitating  in  miniature  the  same  character  of 
budding  youth  grafted  on  to  twisted  and  contorted  age. 
These  tiny  plum-trees,  trained  in  a  variety  of  shapes, — 
bent,  curved,  and  even  spiral, — with  their  vertical  or  droop- 
ing graftings  of  different  coloured  blossom-sprays,  fresh, 
fragrant  and  long  lasting,  form  one  of  the  most  welcome 
room  decorations  during  the  first  months  of  the  year. 

Poets  and  artists  love  to  compare  this  flowering  tree  with 
its  later  rival,  the  cherry.  With  the  latter,  they  say,  the 
blossom  absorbs  all  interest,  whereas,  in  the  case  of  the 
plum,  attention  is  drawn  more  to  the  tree  itself :  the  cherry 
blossom  is  the  prettier  and  gayer  of  the  two,  but  the  plum 
blossom  is  more  chaste  and  quiet  in  appearance,  and  has, 
besides,  its  sweet  odour. 

The  season  of  the  plum  blossom  is  made  musical  with 
the  liquid  note  of  the  Japanese  nightingale,  and  in  the  dif- 
ferent decorative  arts  this  bird  is  inseparably  associated 
with  the  plum-tree.  Similar  combinations  of  bird  and 
flower,  or  even  of  beast  and  flower,  are  numerous,  and 
strictly  followed  by  the  many  designs  of  the  country  ;  such, 
for  example,  are  the  associations  of  bamboo  leaves  and 
sparrows,  pea-fowls  and  peonies,  and  deer  with  maple-trees. 

In  later  times  plum-trees  were  planted  in  large  numbers 
in  rural  spots  near  to  the  ancient  capitals,  forming  pleasure 
resorts  for  the  ladies  of  the  Imperial  Court.  Along  the 
banks  of  the  River  Kizu,  at  a  place  called  Tsuki-ga-se,  in 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN         267 

the  province  of  Yamato,  fine  trees  of  pink  and  white  blos- 
som line  the  banks  for  upwards  of  two  miles,  diffusing  their 
delicious  scent  around.  These  trees  are  what  remains  of 
quite  a  forest  of  plum-trees  said  to  have  stretched  for  miles 
around.  The  modern  capitals  have  also  their  favourite 
plum  orchards,  visited  by  crowds  of  sightseers  in  blossom 
time,  at  the  end  of  January.  Sugita,  a  village  not  far  from 
Yokohama,  possesses  one  of  the  most  famous,  having  over 
a  thousand  trees,  many  of  which  are  eighty  or  a  hundred 
years  of  age,  and  which  supply  in  the  summer  most  of  the 
fruit  consumed  in  the  Eastern  capital,  Tokio.  It  is  popu- 
larly known  and  frequented  for  its  blossoms  alone  in  the 
early  spring.  This  orchard  boasts  six  special  kinds  of  tree, 
distinguished  by  different  fancy  names  having  reference  to 
the  character  of  flower  ;  the  principal  of  which  are  trees  of 
pink,  and  others  of  green  blossom, — for  the  white  plum 
flower  has  a  faint  tinge  of  emerald.  In  all,  there  are  said  to 
be  sixty  different  species  existing  in  Japan.  The  blossom 
held  most  in  esteem  is  the  single  blossom  of  white  or  green- 
ish white  colour  and  of  small  size.  All  the  white  kinds 
are  scented,  but  of  the  red  some  have  no  perfume.  There 
is  an  early  plum  of  red  double  blossom  which  blooms  before 
the  winter  solstice,  and  is  of  handsome  appearance,  but  it 
has  little  or  no  scent. 

Every  visitor  to  Japan  has  heard  of  the  Gwa-rio-bai,  or 
Recumbent-dragon-plum-trees  at  Kameido,  a  famous  spot 
in  the  north  of  Tokio.  At  this  place  there  existed,  up  to 
fifty  years  ago,  a  rare  and  curious  plum-tree  of  great  age 


268  JAPAN 

and  contorted  shape,  whose  branches  had  bent,  ploughing 
the  soil,  forming  new  roots  in  fourteen  places,  and  strag- 
gling over  an  extensive  area.  This  tree,  from  its  suggestive 
shape,  received  the  name  of  the  Recumbent  Dragon,  and, 
yearly  clad  with  fresh  shoots  and  white  blossoms  of  fine 
perfume,  attracted  large  crowds  of  visitors.  From  this 
famous  tree  fruit  was  yearly  presented  to  the  Shogun. 
Succumbing  at  last  to  extreme  age,  it  has  been  replaced  by 
a  number  of  less  imposing  trees,  selected  on  account  of 
their  more  or  less  bent  and  crawling  shapes.  This  present 
group  of  trees,  inheriting  the  name  and  somewhat  of  the 
character  of  Recumbent  Dragons,  makes  a  fine  show  of 
blossoms  in  February,  and  keeps  up  the  popularity  of  the 
resort. 

Komurai  and  Kinegawa,  near  Kameido,  also  have  blos- 
som-groves much  frequented. 

Another  noted  spot  is  Komukai,  near  Kawasaki,  on  the 
Tokaido,  not  far  from  the  capital,  historically  famous  as 
having  been  often  visited  by  the  Shogun,  and  possessing 
trees  over  two  hundred  years  of  age. 

At  Shinjiku,  another  place  on  the  outskirts  of  Tokio,  is 
a  fine  grove  of  plums,  popularly  called  the  Silver-world 
(Gin-sekai\  a  term  often  applied  to  the  snow-clad  landscape, 
and  having  special  reference  in  this  instance  to  the  silver 
whiteness  of  these  blossoms. 

The  third  month  of  spring,  corresponding  with  the  pres- 
ent April,  is  the  month  of  the  cherry  blossom,  the  king  of 
flowers  in  Japan.  This  flower  is  remarkable  for  its  soft- 


VIEWING   THE   PLUM    BLOSSOMS. 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN        269 

ness  and  exuberance,  as  contrasted  with  the  severe  simplicity 
of  the  plum  blossom.  The  latter  blooms  fresh,  vigorous, 
and  leafless  in  the  bare  and  often  snow-clad  landscape ; 
the  former,  with  its  florid  richness,  enhanced  in  some  cases 
by  young  reddish  leaves,  is  specially  fitted  to  assert  itself 
amid  the  greenery  of  budding  spring.  But  the  splendour 
of  the  cherry's  bloom  is  transitory  in  comparison  with  the 
more  lasting  qualities  of  the  plum  which  retains  its  beauty 
for  a  full  month.  The  cherry  flowers  must  be  viewed 
during  the  first  short  days  of  their  prime,  and  should  these 
days  be  stormy,  the  full  glory  of  the  sight  is  lost.  The 
most  enthusiastic  partisans  of  the  cherry  blossom  assert 
that  it  is  all  the  more  precious  on  account  of  its  transient 
character. 

The  wild  cherry  seems  to  have  existed  in  Japan  from 
time  immemorial,  and  still  abounds  in  the  woods  of  the 
northern  island,  where  the  Aino  aborigines  apply  its  bark 
to  many  purposes.  Though  early  records  refer  often  to 
the  plum,  there  is  no  mention  of  the  cherry  earlier  than  the 
time  of  Richiu,  an  Emperor  of  the  Fifth  Century. 

This  monarch  was  disporting  himself  with  his  courtiers 
in  a  pleasure  boat,  on  the  lake  of  the  Royal  park,  when 
some  petals  from  the  wild  cherry-trees  of  the  adjoining 
hills  fluttered  into  the  wine  cup  from  which  he  was  drink- 
ing. This  circumstance  is  said  to  have  drawn  his  Majesty's 
notice  to  the  beauty  of  this  neglected  blossom,  and  from 
this  time  also  arose  the  custom  of  wine  drinking  at  the 
time  of  cherry  viewing.  To  this  day  there  is  a  popular 


270  JAPAN 

saying :  "  Without  wine  who  can  properly  enjoy  the  sight 
of  the  cherry  blossom  ?  "  It  was  reserved  for  a  later  Em- 
peror in  the  Eighth  Century  to  give  to  the  cherry  that  im- 
portance as  a  national  flower  which  it  has  ever  since 
retained.  Whilst  on  a  hunting  expedition  on  Mount 
Mikasa,  in  the  province  of  Yamato,  the  Emperor  Shomu, 
attracted  by  the  beauty  of  the  double  cherry  blossoms,  com- 
posed the  following  short  verse,  which  he  sent,  with  a 
branch  of  the  flowers,  to  his  favourite  Consort,  Komio 
Kogo : 

"  This  gathered  cherry  branch  can  scarce  convey 
A  fancy  of  the  blossom-laden  tree, 
Blooming  in  sunlight ;  could  I  shew  it  thee, 
Thoughts  of  its  beauty  would  drive  sleep  away." 

To  satisfy  the  curiosity  of  the  ladies  of  his  Court,  the 
Emperor  afterwards  ordered  cherry-trees  to  be  planted  near 
the  Palace  at  Nara,  and  from  this  time  the  custom  was 
continued  at  each  succeeding  capital.. 

In  the  Thirteenth  Century  the  Emperor  Kameyama 
caused  a  number  of  cherry-trees  from  Yoshino  to  be 
planted  at  Arashiyama,  a  beautiful  hilly  spot  on  the  banks 
of  the  rapid  River  Oi.  Here  he  built  a  summer  pavilion, 
and,  in  spring  and  autumn,  Court  after  Court  visited  the 
lovely  spot,  rendered  further  famous  in  a  verse  composed 
by  one  of  the  Imperial  line  : — "  Not  second  to  Yoshino,  is 
Arashiyama,  where  the  white  spray  of  the  torrent  sprinkles 
the  cherry  blossoms."  This  spot  no  longer  possesses  its 
Imperial  pavilion,  but  remains  a  favourite  resort  for  sight- 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN        271 

seers  from  the  Western  capital,  in  the  months  of  the  cherry 
and  maple.  Numerous  tea-houses  and  booths,  on  the 
banks  of  the  rapids,  give  a  fine  view  of  the  wooded  hills 
opposite,  amidst  the  spring  greenery  of  which  may  be  seen 
the  pearly  white  clouds  of  the  cherry  blossoms.  Here  the 
blossoming  trees  form  a  part  of  the  distant  landscape,  as 
they  must  have  been  originally  viewed  in  their  natural 
wildness,  when  they  first  attracted  the  admiration  of  the 
earlier  Emperors,  and  before  their  more  gorgeous  successors 
of  the  double-flower  became  arranged  and  isolated  in  arti- 
ficial orchards  and  avenues. 

In  and  near  to  the  present  Eastern  Capital  are  several 
spots  renowned  for  their  show  of  cherry-trees  in  blossom, 
originally  brought  from  Yoshino,  and  from  the  banks  of 
the  Sakura  River  in  the  province  of  Hitachi.  One  of  these 
resorts,  at  a  place  called  Asukayama,  is  often  spoken  of  as 
the  New  Yoshino. 

Koganei,  some  half  day's  ride  from  Tokio,  is  perhaps  the 
most  attractive  spot  for  seeing  the  double  cherry  in  full 
bloom.  Here  a  fine  avenue  of  these  flowering  trees  ex- 
tends upwards  of  two  and  a  half  miles  along  the  aqueduct 
which  conveys  the  water  of  the  River  Tama  to  Tokio.  It 
is  said  that  they  were  first  planted  immediately  after  the 
completion  of  the  aqueduct,  by  command  of  the  Shogun 
Yoshimune,  in  the  beginning  of  the  Eighteenth  Century, 
with  the  idea  that  cherry-trees  had  the  virtue  of  keeping  off 
impurities  from  water.  For  this  purpose  ten  thousand 
trees  were  brought  from  Yoshino,  and  from  the  banks  of 


272  JAPAN 

the  River  Sakura ;  but  the  number  now  remaining  has 
dwindled  to  only  a  few  hundred. 

In  the  old  temple  grove,  now  a  public  park  at  Uyeno, 
there  are  a  number  of  fine  trees  of  the  single  early  cherry 
blossoms,  called  by  the  Japanese  Higan-zakura,  among 
which  are  some  magnificent  specimens  of  the  Weeping 
cherry.  This  latter  species  has  pendant  branches,  droop- 
ing like  the  willow,  and  bears  single  white  flowers,  but  no 
fruit ;  thus  being  an  exception  to  the  general  rule,  that  the 
trees  of  single  blossom  bear  fruit  whilst  those  of  double 
blossom  are  fruitless.  The  fruit  of  the  Japanese  cherry-- 
tree is,  however,  at  its  best,  insipid  and  worthless.  These 
trees  at  Ueno  are  all  of  majestic  size,  and  present  a 
gorgeous  sight  in  April,  with  their  pale  pink  blossoms  seen 
partly  against  the  blue  sky,  and  partly  against  the  rich 
foliage  of  the  pines  and  cedars  which  surround  the  golden 
shrines  and  cenotaphs  of  the  Shoguns. 

The  most  popular  resort  in  Tokio  is  the  cherry  avenue 
at  Mukojima,  extending  for  more  than  a  mile  along  the 
banks  of  the  River  Sumida.  Here  the  trees  lack  the 
grandeur  and  natural  beauty  of  those  at  Uyeno,  and  have 
no  surrounding  foliage  to  set  them  off;  but  they  are  of 
double  blossom,  and  bending  with  their  weight  of  flowers, — 
looking  almost  artificial  in  their  luxurious  fulness, — 
present  a  most  imposing  sight.  The  spot  is  frequented  by 
the  gayest  holiday  makers.  Wine-drinking  is  considered 
essential  to  a  proper  enjoyment  of  the  scene,  and  crowds 
of  pedestrians,  bearing  their  gourds  of  rice-wine,  make 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN         273 

such  resorts  merry  and  boisterous  with  their  carousals. 
Other  visitors,  of  a  richer  class,  indulge  in  the  prospect  of 
the  blossom-laden  banks  from  roofed  pleasure  boats,  ac- 
companied often  by  a  gay  gathering  of  singing  girls. 

The  month  of  the  cherry  is  one  of  high  winds,  and  the 
soft  petals  of  the  full  blown  blossoms  fall  like  snow  flakes 
covering  the  pathways  beneath.  This  simple  fact  is  not 
without  its  attraction  to  the  Japanese,  who  make  much  of 
the  falling  cherry  petal  in  their  poetry  and  other  arts. 

The  first  popular  flower  of  summer,  which  in  public 
places,  attracts  the  pleasure-seeker  is  the  wistaria,  bloom- 
ing in  May,  soon  after  the  cherry  blossom  has  fallen. 
This  stalwart  flowering  creeper  is  reared  upon  large 
trellises,  arranged  to  cover  long  walks,  bridges  or 
arbours,  in  pleasure  grounds  and  gardens.  A  favourite 
position  is  one  sheltering  an  open  gallery,  which  overhangs 
a  lake  or  stream.  In  the  precincts  of  the  popular  temple 
at  Kameido,  in  Tokio,  close  to  the  famous  plum-trees, 
there  are  wistarias  of  magnificent  size,  bearing  blossoms 
which  hang  in  rich  purple  clusters,  from  two  to  three  feet 
in  length.  Wide  rustic  galleries,  in  connection  with 
garden  kiosks,  extend  over  an  artificial  lake  stocked  with 
gigantic  gold  fish,  and  the  wistaria  trellises  form  an  ex- 
tended covering  overhead.  A  belief  exists  that  this  flower 
attains  great  size  and  beauty  if  its  roots  are  nourished  with 
the  rice-wine  of  the  country,  and  there  is,  at  Kameido,  a 
tree  producing  specially  fine  blossoms,  at  the  base  of  which 
visitors  are  accustomed  to  empty  their  wine  cups.  Other 


274  JAPAN 

fine  specimens  exist  in  various  parts  of  Japan,  bearing 
clusters  over  three  feet  in  length,  among  which  may  be 
mentioned  one  at  Noda,  in  the  province  of  Settsu,  called 
the  Shitose^  or  tree  of  a  thousand  years. 

The  wistaria  of  purple  blossom  is  most  common  and 
most  esteemed,  ranking  higher  than  the  white  kind.  This 
is  an  exception  to  the  prevailing  custom,  which  places 
white  before  other  colours  in  blossoms  of  the  same  species, 
and  especially  proscribes  purple  flowers  as  associated  with 
mourning,  and  unfit  for  felicitous  occasions.  In  various 
designs  the  pheasant  is  shown  in  combination  with  the 
purple  wistaria. 

In  June,  the  popular  flower  is  the  iris  or  flag,  which  is 
cultivated  in  large  marshy  flats  near  to  some  river  or  lake. 
In  many  gardens  watered  by  a  stream,  a  loop  or  bend  in 
the  water-course  is  spread  out  into  a  marshy  expanse, 
planted  with  flags,  and  crossed  by  fancy  plank  bridges  of 
zigzag  shape.  There  are  four  distinct  species  of  iris, 
known  by  different  native  names,  but  the  kind  most  seen 
is  the  Acorus  calamus,  or  sweet  flag,  which  the  Japanese  call 
Hana-Sbobu.  In  the  case  of  displays  of  iris  flowers,  a 
mass  of  varied  colour  is  delighted  in,  the  purple,  white  and 
variegated  blossoms  being  grown  together,  indiscriminately, 
and  with  no  attempt  at  pattern  or  design.  The  most 
noted  place  for  shows  of  this  flower  is  Yatsuhashi,  in  the 
province  of  Makawa;  but  the  popular  resort  nearest 
Tokio  is  a  spot  called  Horikiri,  close  to  the  River  Sumida, 
to  which  place  it  is  the  fashion  to  make  excursions,  in 


WISTARIA    BLOSSOMS   AT   KAMEIDO. 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN         275 

pleasure  boats  early  in  June.  Here  the  beds  which  con- 
tain the  flags,  in  every  variety  of  colour,  are  surrounded  by 
elevated  grassy  banks,  dotted  with  summer-houses,  from 
which  visitors  can  look  down  upon  the  rich  variegated 
carpet  below.  Narrow  wooden  bridges  give  further 
picturesqueness  to  the  scene,  crowded  in  the  season 
with  a  brilliant  throng  of  visitors,  whose  pretty  costumes 
almost  vie  in  gaiety  of  colour  with  the  flowers. 

The  iris,  as  a  water  plant,  is  associated  in  art  with  the 
kingfisher,  water-rail,  mandarin  duck  and  other  water 
birds. 

Summer's  hottest  months  bring  the  peony  and  lotus 
flowers  which,  though  hardly  sufficiently  democratic  to  rank 
among  the  most  popular,  yet  play  an  important  part  in  the 
art  of  the  country.  The  peony  is  cultivated  in  long  shel- 
tered beds,  forming  generally  the  parterre  to  some  adjoining 
chamber,  from  which  its  magnificent  blossoms  can  be 
viewed.  In  the  grounds  of  the  wealthy  it  is  subjected  to 
scrupulous  care  and  nursing,  in  order  to  produce  flowers  of 
enormous  size  and  fulness,  often  so  large  and  heavy  as  to 
need  artificial  support.  It  is  regarded  as  the  flower-queen 
of  China,  and  is  essentially  the  favourite  of  the  upper 
classes  in  Japan.  The  peony  was  first,  it  is  said,  imported 
into  this  country  in  the  Eighth  Century,  and  was  chiefly 
cultivated  in  the  provinces  of  Yamato  and  Yamashiro. 
Even  now,  the  finest  specimens  in  Tokio  are  brought  from 
the  neighbourhood  of  the  old  capital,  Nara.  The  largest 
blossoms  measure  as  much  as  nine  inches  across.  The 


276  JAPAN 

peony  is  sometimes  called  the  flower-of-prosperity,  and  an- 
other fancy  name  by  which  it  is  known  is  the  Plant  of 
Twenty  Days,  given  because  it  is  said  to  preserve  its 
beauty  and  freshness  for  that  period  of  time.  Of  the  large 
tree-peony  there  are  ninety  distinct  kinds,  not  including  the 
small  single  kind  of  the  same  species,  of  which  there  are 
said  to  exist  five  hundred  varieties.  Among  colours,  the 
red  and  white  are  most  valued,  purple  and  yellow  speci- 
mens though  rare,  being  less  prized.  This  exuberant 
flower,  with  its  large  curling  petals,  is  a  favourite  subject 
for  design  and  decoration.  Its  companions  in  art  are  the 
peacock  and  the  Shiski,  a  kind  of  conventional  lion,  derived 
from  Chinese  designs ;  and  in  such  company  it  forms  the 
constant  decoration  of  temple  and  palace  walls. 

The  lotus  is  closely  connected  with  the  Buddhist  relig- 
ion, and  is  associated  therefore,  in  the  minds  of  the  people, 
with  mortality  and  spirit-land.  The  lakes  of  temple 
grounds,  especially  those  dedicated  to  the  water  goddess 
Benten,  are  frequently  planted  with  lotuses.  The  fine 
wide  moats  of  the  Tokio  Castle  abound  in  these  water 
plants,  which  imparts  to  them  much  beauty  in  the  season. 
Wherever  undisturbed  pools  and  channels  of  muddy  water 
exist,  the  lotus  is  to  be  found,  and  even  the  ditches  beside 
the  railway  connecting  Tokio  with  its  port,  are  rendered 
gay  in  the  summer  by  the  lotus  flowers  in  bloom.  As  the 
peony  is  said  to  be  the  national  flower  of  China,  so  the 
lotus  is  called  the  national  flower  of  India,  the  source  and 
centre  of  Buddhism.  It  is  therefore  considered  out  of  place 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN         277 

as  a  decoration  for  occasions  of  festivity  and  rejoicing,  being 
suggestive  of  a  spiritual  life  ;  but  it  is  constantly  used  for 
obsequies  and  other  sacred  ceremonies.  The  lotus  serves 
as  a  suitable  theme  for  religious  contemplation,  and  is  the 
favourite  flower  of  monastic  and  temple  retreats  ;  the  best 
displays  are  therefore  to  be  seen  in  the  lakes  of  the  old 
temple  groves  of  Kioto  and  other  cities. 

The  chrysanthemum  is  the  flower  of  Autumn  and  the 
triumph  of  Japanese  floricultural  skill.  Remarkable  variety 
in  form  and  colour  of  blossom  is  produced  in  the  specimens 
cultivated  in  the  gardens  of  the  court  and  nobility.  The 
chrysanthemum  flower,  in  its  most  exuberant  form,  loses  its 
disc-like  character,  and  presents  a  combination  of  long  oval 
petals,  partly  extended,  and  partly  curling  inwards,  exhib- 
iting in  contrast  the  different  tints  of  face  and  back ; 
whilst,  in  its  most  eccentric  and  artificial  shape,  it  assumes 
the  character  of  a  confused  mop  of  thread-like  petals,  more 
curious  than  beautiful. 

The  chrysanthemum  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  the 
national  flower  of  Japan,  a  rank  really  belonging  to  the 
cherry-blossom  ;  and  this  misconception  is  probably  owing 
to  the  former  being  used  as  one  of  the  crests  of  the  Impe- 
rial House.  The  flower  has  always  been  much  honoured 
by  the  Court,  and  as  early  as  the  time  of  the  Emperor 
Heizei,  in  the  Ninth  Century,  garden  parties  were  held  in 
the  Palace  for  the  purpose  of  celebrating  its  blossoming 
time,  just  as,  at  the  present  day,  a  yearly  chrysanthemum 
show  takes  place  in  the  Imperial  grounds.  These  ancient 


278  JAPAN 

celebrations  seem  to  have  partaken  of  a  truly  pastoral  char- 
acter, the  courtiers  wearing  the  plucked  blossoms  in  their 
hair,  drinking  wine  and  composing  verses  upon  the  beauties 
of  the  flowers.  The  modern  chrysanthemum  displays  in 
the  Palace  gardens  are  more  like  our  own  flower-shows  in 
the  social  conventionality  of  their  arrangements  ;  but  the 
numerous  variety,  of  every  imaginable  colour  and  profusion 
of  shape,  arranged  in  long  open  rustic  sheds,  forms  a  bril- 
liant and  imposing  scene  hardly  rivalled  by  any  flower-show 
in  the  world. 

There  are  said  to  be  in  Japan  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
nine  colour  varieties  of  the  chrysanthemum,  of  which  sixty- 
three  are  yellow,  eighty-seven  white,  thirty-two  purple, 
thirty  red,  thirty-one  pale  pink,  twelve  russet,  and  fourteen 
of  mixed  colours.  A  fancy  prevails  that  in  this  flower  the 
same  tint  is  never  exactly  reproduced,  and  that  in  this  it 
resembles  the  endless  variety  of  the  human  countenance. 
Blooming  longer  than  most  flowers,  the  chrysanthemum 
has  come  to  be  associated  with  longevity.  In  the  province 
of  Kai,  a  hill,  called  Chrysanthemum  Mount,  overhangs  a 
river  of  clear  water,  into  which  the  petals  fall,  and  a  belief 
exists  that  long  life  is  assured  by  drinking  the  water  of  this 
stream.  A  favourite  motive  of  decoration,  which  may  be 
seen  in  numerous  conventional  designs,  is  the  chrysanthe- 
mum blossom  floating  in  running  water.  A  custom  also 
survives  of  placing  small  blossoms  or  petals  in  the  cup 
during  the  wine-drinking  which  takes  place  during  the  fes- 
tival of  the  ninth  day  of  the  ninth  month. 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN         279 

The  ordinary  varieties  of  the  chrysanthemum  are  to  be 
seen  in  great  abundance  in  the  street  fairs  during  the 
autumn  months.  Dango-zaka,  in  Tokio,  is  the  favourite 
popular  resort,  and  here  the  flowers  are  trained  into 
groups  of  figures  and  animals,  representing  historical  sub- 
jects. 

The  chrysanthemum  is  associated  with  the  crane,  the 
royal  bird  of  Japan. 

The  paucity  of  important  flowering  trees  and  plants  in 
Autumn,  has,  perhaps,  led  the  Japanese  to  make  much  of 
certain  simple  plants,  comparatively  insignificant  in  them- 
selves, but  gathering  importance  and  interest  in  combina- 
tion. As  has  already  been  pointed  out,  almost  every  month 
of  the  year  is  associated  with  a  special  blossom,  and  the 
calendar  would  not  be  complete  without  a  reference  to 
these  flowers  of  late  Autumn.  These  seven  plants  are  : 
the  lespedeza,  the  morning-glory,  the  eularia  japonica,  the 
valeriana  villosa^  the  valerina  officinalis,  the  pueraria  thun- 
bergiana  and  the  carnation.  Perhaps  the  favourite -of  these 
is  the  lespedeza,  of  which  there  are  several  kinds,  some  hav- 
ing pink,  others  white,  and  others  yellow  flowers.  Grow- 
ing wild  on  grassy  moors,  it  is  associated  with  wild  horses, 
deer,  and  the  wild  boar,  together  with  which  it  is  often  de- 
picted in  different  designs.  The  deer  is  specially  associ- 
ated with  the  Autumn  time,  and  represented  also  with 
other  Autumn  flowers  and  with  the  reddening  maple.  The 
seven  Autumn  plants  are  grown  together  in  the  Hiyak-kwa- 
yen,  or  garden-of-a-hundred-flowers,  at  Mukojima.  The 


280  JAPAN 

temple   grounds   of  the   Hagi-dera,  near   Kameido,  are  fa- 
mous for  their  show  of  lespedeza  flowers. 

A  notice  of  the  floral  festivals  of  the  year  would  not  be 
complete  without  reference  to  the  maple, — for  the  redden- 
ing leaf  of  the  maple,  like  the  foliage  of  many  other  flower- 
less  trees,  is  regarded  as  a  flower  in  Japan.  The  rich  tints 
of  the  changing  leaves  of  certain  deciduous  trees,  hardly 
distinguishable  from  the  colouring  of  blossoming  shrubs 
such  as  the  azalea,  form  a  favourite  object  of  attraction 
during  the  Autumn  months.  The  native  term  Momiji, 
which  is  generally  translated  maple,  is,  strictly  speaking,  a 
general  name  applied  to  many  trees  which  redden  in  the 
Fall.  Of  the  maple  itself,  there  are  many  varieties,  dis- 
tinguished both  by  the  form  of  their  leaves  and  the  tone  of 
their  colour.  No  garden  is  considered  complete  without 
its  group  of  maple  trees,  placed  beside  some  artificial  hill 
towards  the  West,  to  receive  additional  splendour  from  the 
setting  sun.  Grassy  slopes  and  valleys  are  planted  with 
these  trees,  with  the  object  of  bringing  into  one  limited 
prospect  the  red  and  golden  tints  in  which  the  natural 
scenery  of  the  wooded  hills  abounds.  The  grand  slopes 
above  the  river  at  Arashiyama,  noted  in  the  Spring-time 
for  their  show  of  cherry  blossoms,  make  a  fine  display  of 
scarlet  maple  foliage  in  the  Autumn.  At  Ko-no-dai,  a  fa- 
mous prominence  commanding  a  view  of  the  whole  plain 
of  Tokio,  there  are  some  fine  maple  trees,  noted  for  their 
enormous  size.  A  spot  called  Tatsuta,  in  the  province  of 
Yamato,  is  renowned  for  its  splendid  maples,  which  line 


THE  FLOWERS  OF  JAPAN         281 

the  banks  of  the  river,  and  are  in  full  glory  about  the  end 
of  October.  At  Oji,  a  suburb  of  Tokio,  the  slopes  of  a 
natural  glen  between  the  hills  are  thickly  planted  with  fine 
specimens  of  these  trees,  forming  a  most  romantic  spot, 
where,  from  the  galleries  of  a  rustic  arbour,  may  be  seen 
the  foliage  in  all  its  burning  splendour.  Shinagawa  and 
Meguro,  other  well-known  spots  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
capital,  have  also  good  groups  of  maple-trees  which  attract 
many  sightseers.  Picnicing  and  mushroom-gathering 
are  pastimes  which  accompany  the  viewing  of  the  maple. 
In  the  poems  and  pictures  of  the  country  the  maple  is  as- 
sociated with  deer. 


THE  TEA-CEREMONIES  (Cha-no-yu) 

AUGUSTUS  W.  FRANKS 

THE  Tea-Ceremonies,  known  as  the  u  Cha-no-yu," 
do  not  appear  to  have  been  noticed  at  any  length 
in  any  English  work,  though  a  short  account  of 
them,  obtained  from  Baron  Alexander  von  Siebold,  may  be 
found  in  the  English  translation  of  Dr.  Jagor's  Travels  in 
the  Philippines.  A  much  fuller  description  of  them  has 
been  published  by  Dr.  Funk,  in  the  sixth  part  of  the 
Mittheilungen  der  deutschen  Gesellschaft  fur  Natur  und  Vol- 
kerkunde  Ostasiens  (Yokohama,  1874),  from  which  our  ac- 
count of  them  has  been  condensed,  with  some  additional 
information  kindly  furnished  by  Mr.  Kasawara. 

The  cultivation  of  tea  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
into  Japan  from  China  in  A.  D.  805,  though  it  did  not  take 
firm  hold  till  later.  It  is  uncertain  when  the  tea-cere- 
monies or  clubs  first  commenced;  and  they  do  not  appear 
to  have  adopted  fixed  rules  till  the  middle  of  the  Fifteenth 
Century.  These  rules  were  made  by  a  Japanese  named 
Shuko,  under  the  patronage  of  the  Shogun  Yosimasa  (1443— 
1473)  ;  later  the  famous  Taiko  Hideyoshi  appointed  another 
Japanese,  named  Rikiu,  to  revise  the  old  statutes,  and  the 
rules  drawn  up  by  him  are  still  observed. 

There  are,  or  rather  were,  several  varieties  in  the  ob- 
282 


THE  TEA-CEREMONIES  283 

servance  of  the  ceremonies,  of  which  the  principal  are 
Senke,  Enshu,  Oribe,  Matsu-o,  and  Yabu-no-uchi.  Under 
the  present  regime  they  are  nothing  more  than  friendly  re- 
unions ;  the  ceremonies,  in  fact,  are  dying  out,  and  will 
probably  have  entirely  disappeared  in  a  few  years. 

The  place  destined  for  the  ceremonies  is  either  a  separate 
building,  or  an  apartment  removed  from  the  rest  of  the 
house,  and  it  was  known  under  the  names  of  Kakoi  (the 
enclosed),  or  Sukiya.  It  was  covered  with  shingles,  and 
consisted  of  a  room  usually  measuring  four  and  a  half 
mats  (a  mat  equals  about  six  by  three  feet),  or,  about 
eighty-one  square  feet ;  on  one  side  was  another  smaller 
room,  called  Midzu-ya  (water-room),  where  the  utensils 
were  arranged  ;  on  the  other  side  was  another  small  room 
for  receiving  the  guests.  Surrounding  the  house  or  apart- 
ment was  a  garden,  Ro-ji  (dewy  ground). 

Two  modes  of  conducting  the  ceremonies  were  observed 
— the  winter  and  summer  modes.  In  the  former  the  garden 
was  strewn  with  fir  leaves,  the  guests  retained  their  shoes, 
and  the  furnace  for  the  kettle  was  a  pit  in  the  floor  filled 
with  ashes.  In  the  latter,  the  garden  was  decked  out  with 
flowers,  the  guests  took  off  their  shoes,  and  a  portable 
earthenware  furnace  (furo)  was  used. 

The  inside  of  the  room  was  to  be  as  plain  as  possible, 
though  costly  woods  might  be  employed  if  the  means  of  the 
host  admitted  it.  The  walls  had  a  dado  of  white  paper, 
and  on  one  side  was  a  niche  (toko),  with  an  inscribed  roll 
and  flowers,  the  latter  sometimes  placed  in  a  hanging  vase. 


284  JAPAN 

The  hours  fixed  for  the  invitations  were  4  to  6  A.  M.,  noon, 
or  6  p.  M.  The  guests,  assembling  in  a  pavilion  (macbi  at) 
in  the  garden,  announce  their  arrival  by  striking  on  a 
wooden  tablet  (ban)  or  bell,  when  the  host  himself  or  a 
servant  appears  to  conduct  them  into  the  chamber.  The 
entrance  being  only  three  feet  square,  the  host  kneels  and 
lets  the  guests  creep  in  before  him.  They  being  seated  in 
a  semicircle,  the  host  goes  to  the  door  of  the  side  room  in 
which  the  utensils  are  kept,  saying :  "  I  am  very  glad  that 
you  are  come,  and  thank  you  much.  I  now  go  to  make 
up  the  fire."  He  then  brings  in  a  basket  (sumi-tori)  con- 
taining charcoal  in  pieces  of  a  prescribed  length,  a  brush 
(mitsu-bd),  made  of  three  feathers,  a  pair  of  tongs  (hibashi\ 
the  stand  of  the  kettle  (kama-skiki\  iron  handles  for  the 
kettle,  a  lacquer  box1  containing  incense2  (kobako),  and 
some  paper.  He  again  leaves  the  chamber  to  bring  in  a 
vessel  with  ashes  (bai-k'i)  and  its  spoon.  He  then  makes 
up  the  fire  and  burns  incense,  to  overpower  the  smell  of 
the  charcoal.  While  he  is  thus  occupied,  the  guests  beg 
to  be  allowed  to  inspect  the  incense-box,  generally  an  ob- 
ject of  value,  which  passes  from  hand  to  hand,  and  the  last 
guest  returns  it  to  the  host.  This  closes  the  first  part  of 
the  ceremony,  and  both  host  and  guests  withdraw. 

The  second  part  commences  with  eating,  and,  as  it  is  a 
rule  that  nothing  should  be  left,  the  guests  carry  off",  wrapped 

1  This  is  used  in  the  summer  mode.  In  the  winter  a  porcelain  or  earth- 
enware box  (kogo}  is  employed. 

* In  the  winter  odoriferous  pastilles  are  burned ;  in  the  summer  sandal 
wood. 


JAPANESE   TEA-ROOM. 


THE  TEA-CEREMONIES  285 

up  in  paper,  any  fragments  that  remain.  The  utensils  used 
in  this  part  of  the  ceremony  are  as  follows:  (i)  an  iron 
kettle  (kama)  with  a  copper  or  iron  lid,  resting  on  a  stand 
(kama-shiki] ;  (2)  a  table  or  stand  (daisti)  of  mulberry  wood, 
two  feet  high ;  (3)  two  tea  jars  (cba-ir'e)  containing  the  fine 
powdered  tea,  and  enclosed  in  bags  of  brocade;  (4)  a  vessel 
containing  fresh  water  (midzu-sashi),  which  is  placed  under 
the  daisu,  (5)  a  tea-bowl  of  porcelain,  or  earthenware 
(cba-wan\  or,  when  of  large  size  (temmokii),  simple  in 
form,  but  remarkable  for  its  antiquity  or  historical  associa- 
tions. Besides  this,  there  is  a  bamboo  whisk  (cba-sen);  a 
silk  cloth  (fukusd),  usually  purple,  for  wiping  the  utensils  ; 
a  spoon  (cha-sbaku)  to  take  the  tea  out  of  the  cha-ire ;  and 
a  water  ladle  (shaku).  All  these  objects  are  brought  in 
singly  by  the  host  in  their  prescribed  order. 

After  solemn  salutations  and  obeisances,  the  utensils  are 
wiped  and  some  of  the  powdered  tea  is  placed  in  the  tea 
bowl,  hot  water  is  poured  on  it,  and  the  whole  is  vigorously 
stirred  with  the  whisk  until  it  looks  like  thin  spinach ;  a 
boy  then  carries  the  bowl  to  the  chief  guest,  from  whom  it 
passes  round  the  party  to  the  last,  who  returns  it  empty  to 
the  boy.  The  empty  bowl  is  then  passed  round  once  more 
that  the  guests  may  admire  it.  The  utensils  are  then 
washed  by  the  host,  and  the  ceremony  is  at  an  end. 

The  rules  forbid  any  conversation  on  worldly  subjects, 
such  as  politics  or  scandal;  flattery  is  also  forbidden,  and, 
properly  speaking,  the  meeting  should  not  last  longer  than 
two  hours.  No  distinction  of  ranks  is  observed.  There 


286  JAPAN 

can,  however,  be  no  doubt  that  in  early  times  these  socie- 
ties were  encouraged  by  the  princes,  that  their  retainers 
might  have  an  opportunity  of  quietly  promoting  the  polit- 
ical designs  of  their  lords. 

The  ceremonial  described  above  is  that  known  as  the 
"  Koi-cha"  and  Dr.  Funk  states  that  he  was  present  on  one 
of  these  occasions  when  the  tea  bowl  and  water  jar  were 
exhibited  with  much  pride  as  old  Korean ;  the  host  dilated 
on  the  age  and  origin  of  the  various  utensils,  and  men- 
tioned, for  instance,  that  the  bag  of  one  of  the  tea  jars  was 
made  from  the  dress  of  the  celebrated  dancer,  Kogaru,  who 
lived  in  the  time  of  Taiko  Hideyoshi. 

There  is  another  form  of  the  tea-ceremonies,  the  "  Usu- 
cha  "  (weak  tea),  which  differs  from  the  first  in  some  re- 
spects. It  is  far  less  ceremonious,  the  tea  is  thinner  and 
of  inferior  quality,  and  the  bowl  is  filled  afresh  for  each 
guest,  being  rinsed  out  with  water  each  time.  The  tea  jar 
is  also  different,  being  a  natsum'e  made  of  lacquer. 

The  tea  used  in  both  these  ceremonies  comes  from  Uji, 
near  Kioto,  the  most  celebrated  tea  district  of  Japan,  and 
is  differently  prepared  from  the  commencement  according 
to  the  ceremony  for  which  it  is  intended.  These  cere- 
monies were  the  cause  of  the  large  prices  occasionally  paid 
for  the  vessels  of  pottery  used  in  them,  especially  while 
they  were  in  the  height  of  fashion ;  hence  we  hear  that,  in 
the  time  of  Taiko  Hideyoshi,  a  single  tea  bowl  of  Seto  ware 
was  sold  for  some  thousands  of  dollars. 


PILGRIMAGES 

BASIL  HALL  CHAMBERLAIN 

THE  reputation  of  most  Japanese  shrines  is  bounded 
by  a  somewhat  narrow  horizon.  The  Yedo  folk 
— the  Eastern  Japanese — make  pilgrimages  to 
Narita,  and  up  Fuji  and  Oyama.  Devout  natives  of  the 
central  provinces  round  Kioto  repair  to  the  great  monastery 
of  Koya-san,  or  perform  what  is  termed  the  "  tour  of  the 
holy  places  of  Yamato  "  (Tamato-meguri\  including  such 
celebrated  temples  as  Miwa,  Hase,  and  Tonomine;  and 
they  also  constitute  the  majority  of  the  pilgrims  to  the 
shrine  of  the  Sun-goddess  in  Ise.  The  religious  centre  of 
Shikoku  is  a  place  called  Kompira  or  Kotohira ;  in  the 
north  that  rank  belongs  to  the  sacred  island  of  Kinkwazan, 
while  the  Inland  Sea  has  another  sacred  and  most  lovely 
island — Miyajima — where  none  are  ever  allowed  either  to 
be  born  or  to  be  buried,  and  where  the  tame  deer,  protected 
by  a  gentle  piety,  come  and  feed  out  of  the  stranger's  hand. 
But  some  of  the  greatest  shrines  have  branches  in  other 
provinces.  Kompira  has  a  branch  in  most  Japanese  cities ; 
the  great  Kioto  temple  to  the  Fox-goddess  Inari  has  a  branch 
in  almost  every  village.  Again  there  are  shrines  whose 
very  nature  is  multiple.  Such,  for  instance,  are  the  Thirty- 
Three  Holy  Places  of  Kwannon,  the  Goddess  of  Mercy. 

287 


288  JAPAN 

Pilgrimages  are  generally  of  a  social  nature.  There  exist 
innumerable  pious  associations  called  ko  or  koju,  whose 
members  contribute  each  a  cent  a  month,  and  then,  when 
the  proper  time  of  year  comes  round,  a  certain  number  of 
persons  are  chosen  by  lot  to  represent  the  rest  at  the  shrine 
of  their  devotion,  all  expenses  being  defrayed  out  of  the 
common  fund.  When  these  representatives  form  a  con- 
siderable band,  one  of  them,  who  has  made  the  pilgrimage 
before,  acts  as  leader  and  cicerone,  recounting  to  his  gaping 
audience  the  legend  of  each  minor  shrine  that  is  passed  on 
the  way,  and  otherwise  assisting  and  controlling  the  brethren. 
The  inns  to  be  put  up  at  on  the  road  are  mostly  fixed  by 
custom,  a  flag  or  wooden  board  inscribed  with  the  name  of 
the  pilgrim  association  being  hung  up  over  the  entrance. 
Inns  are  proud  to  display  many  such  authentic  signs  of 
constant  patronage,  and  visitors  to  Japan  will  often  notice 
establishments  whose  whole  front  is  thus  adorned.  As  a 
general  rule,  the  pilgrims  wear  no  special  garb  :  but  those 
bound  for  Fuji,  Ontake,  and  other  high  mountains,  may  be 
distinguished  by  their  white  clothes  and  very  broad  and 
sloping  straw  hats.  While  making  the  ascent,  they  often 
ring  a  bell  and  chant  an  invocation  which,  being  interpreted, 
signifies :  "  May  our  six  senses  *  be  pure,  and  the  weather 
on  the  honourable  mountain  be  fair  !  " 

The  Japanese,  as  has  often  been   remarked,  take  their 

1  The  six  senses,  according  to  the  Buddhists  are  the  eyes,  ears,  nose, 
tongue,  body,  and  heart.  The  pilgrims  repeat  the  invocation,  for  the  most 
part,  without  understanding  it,  as  most  of  the  words  are  Chinese. 


PILGRIMAGES  289 

religion  lightly.  Ise  and  other  favourite  goals  of  piety  are 
equally  noted  for  the  distractions  which  they  provide  of  an 
evening.  Nor  is  much  inquiry  made  into  the  doctrines 
held  at  any  special  shrine.  Kompira  was  Buddhist  and  is 
now  Shinto,  having  been  made  so  by  order  of  government 
during  the  present  reign.  But  the  pilgrims  flock  there  all 
the  same,  the  sanctity  of  the  name  of  the  shrine  over- 
balancing any  lapses  in  the  theology  of  the  priests.  Nor 
need  this  be  matter  for  wonderment,  seeing  that  the  pil- 
grim ranks  are  recruited  almost  exclusively  from  the 
peasant  and  artisan  classes,  whose  members  scarcely  realize 
that  Buddhism  and  Shinto  are  two  separate  cults,  and  are 
prepared  to  pay  equal  respect  to  all  the  superhuman  powers 
that  be.  When  tradesmen  of  any  standing  join  a  pilgrim 
association,  they  mostly  do  so  in  order  to  extend  their  busi- 
ness connection  and  to  see  new  places  cheaply  and  sociably. 
People  who  remember  the  "  good  old  times,"  assert  that 
pilgrimages  are  on  the  wane.  Probably  this  is  true.  The 
influence  of  religion  has  been  weakened  by  the  infiltration 
of  Western  ideas  of  "  progress  "  and  material  civilization. 
Then,  too,  taxation  weighs  far  more  heavily  than  of  yore, 
so  that  there  is  less  money  to  spend  on  non-essentials. 
Still  many  thousands  of  persons,  mostly  pilgrims,  annually 
ascend  Fuji ;  and  the  concourse  of  worshippers  at  the  tem- 
ple of  Ikegami,  near  Tokio,  is  so  great  that  on  the  I2th 
October,  1897  (that  being  the  annual  festival),  over  forty- 
seven  thousand  persons  passed  through  the  wicket  at  the 
little  country  railway  station,  where  the  daily  average  is  only 


290  JAPAN 

some  five  hundred.  Many,  doubtless,  were  mere  holiday- 
makers,  and  the  scene  in  the  grounds  was  that  of  a  great 
holiday-making.  The  happy  crowds  trot  off  to  amuse 
themselves,  and  just  do  a  little  bit  of  praying  incidentally, — 
give  a  tap  at  the  gong,  and  fling  a  copper  into  the  box, — so 
as  to  be  sure  of  being  on  the  right  side.  They  are  ten 
thousand  miles  away  from  Benares,  and  from  Mecca,  and 
from  the  Scotch  Kirk. 

The  holy  objects  which  Japanese  pilgrims  go  out  for  to 
see  and  to  bow  down  before,  belong  exactly  to  the  same 
category  as  the  holy  objects  of  Christian  devotion,  modified 
only  by  local  colouring.  Minute  fragments  of  the 
cremated  body  of  a  Buddha  (these  are  called  sbari),  foot- 
prints of  a  Buddha,  images  and  pictures  by  famous  ancient 
saints,  such  as  the  Abbot  Kobo  Daishi  and  Prince  Shotoku 
Taishi,  whose  activity  in  this  direction  was  phenomenal  if 
legend  can  at  all  be  trusted — holy  swords,  holy  garments, 
wells  that  never  run  dry,  statues  so  lifelike  that  when 
struck  by  an  impious  hand,  blood  has  been  known  to  flow 
from  the  wound, — these  things  and  things  like  these  are 
what  will  be  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  traveller  curious 
to  pry  into  the  arena  of  Japanese  piety. 


ORNAMENTAL  ARTS 

GEORGE  ASHDOWN  AUDSLET 

OF  all  the  countries  of  the  Orient,  Japan  holds  a 
pre-eminent  position  in  all  matters  connected  with 
the  Ornamental  and  Decorative  Arts ;  and  in  sev- 
eral branches  of  art-manufacture  it  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  civilized  world.  Japanese  Art,  is,  however,  now  so 
well  known  and  so  widely  appreciated  in  Europe  and 
America,  that  it  is  quite  unnecessary  to  enlarge  on  these 
facts ;  every  one  who  takes  any  interest  in  the  subject  of 
art-industry  is  acquainted  with  the  wonderful  works  in 
lacquer,  ivory,  metal,  embroidery,  enamel,  and  pottery 
which  have  reached  us  from  Japan,  and  now  adorn  so 
many  of  our  public  and  private  collections;  and  these 
alone  are  sufficient  to  prove  the  exalted  position  the  Japa- 
nese art  workmen  have  held  for  centuries  and  still  hold  at 
the  present  time. 

It  has  been  the  fashion  to  remark  that  art  and  manipula- 
tive skill  in  Japan  are  things  of  the  past :  but  investigation 
with  an  unprejudiced  mind  hardly  supports  this  view.  In- 
deed, the  careful  examination  of  many  examples  of  work 
executed  during  the  last  few  years  has  convinced  us  that 
the  art  workman  of  to-day  is  quite  as  clever  and  painstak- 
ing as  he  of  two  or  three  centuries  ago.  Why  should  he 

291 


292  JAPAN 

not  be,  with  all  the  advantages  the  study  of  the  works  of 
the  past  gives  him  ?  It  is  questionable  if  modern  science 
can  be  included  in  his  advantages  ;  one  thing  is  certain,  it 
has  supplied  him  with  bright  and  glaring  dyes  and  pigments, 
which  he  has,  in  the  interests  of  commerce,  been  induced 
to  adopt,  frequently  to  the  total  suppression  of  his  natural 
taste.  One  of  the  characteristics  of  the  best  periods  of 
Japanese  Art  is  a  peculiarly  quiet  and  refined  scale  of 
colour,  in  which  the  harmonies  of  analogy  are  generally 
more  marked  than  the  harmonies  of  contrast.  Vivid  con- 
trasts are  not  of  frequent  occurrence,  except  for  the  pro- 
duction of  some  startling  effects,  as,  for  instance,  where  a 
bright  red  sun,  with  a  white  crane  flying  across  it,  is  placed 
directly  upon  a  light  blue  ground.  Brilliant  colours  asso- 
ciated with  rich  gilding  are  lavishly  employed  by  the  Japa- 
nese architects  in  the  decoration  of  temples  and  shrines; 
indeed,  in  the  application  of  brilliant  colour,  both  on  plain 
and  carved  surfaces,  they  rival  the  decorations  of  the 
Alhambra.  But  the  amount  of  shade  which  of  necessity 
pervades  such  elaborate  and  complicated  wooden  structures 
as  the  Japanese  temples,  exercises  an  important  modifying 
influence  upon  the  bright  colouring  and  gilding,  refining 
and  subduing  vivid  contrasts,  and  blending  all  into  a  pleas- 
ing harmony.  The  effects  of  the  decorations  are  ever 
changing  with  the  changing  daylight ;  salient  portions  now 
sparkling  in  the  sunshine,  now  retiring  into  shade ;  and 
parts  buried  in  deep  shadow  under  the  powerful  sunshine 
come  forward  in  rich  hues  under  the  softer  and  more  dif- 


ORNAMENTAL  ARTS  293 

fused  light.  We  may  safely  state  that  a  careful  study  of 
all  the  departments  of  decorative  art  leaves  us  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  pass  a  favourable  opinion  on  the  skill  of  the 
Japanese  colourists  ;  they  are  unquestionably  in  advance  of 
all  Oriental  artists  in  this  respect. 

In  metallurgy,  modern  science  has  taught  the  Japanese 
founders  nothing ;  for  centuries  they  have  been  unapproach- 
able in  the  composition  of  bronze  and  other  alloys  for  or- 
namental purposes,  their  skill  being  only  surpassed  by  that 
of  the  artists  who  wrought  them  into  quaint  and  expressive 
pictures;  or  into  sword-guards,  vases,  perfume-burners, 
domestic  utensils,  and  countless  other  objects  of  utility  and 
beauty.  The  Japanese  appear  to  have  been  for  many  cen- 
turies acquainted  with  all  the  processes  of  Ornamental 
Metal- Working ;  and  in  certain  branches  have  surpassed 
the  artists  of  all  other  countries.  With  great  manipulative 
skill,  untiring  patience  and  consummate  taste  they  have 
produced  works  in  the  precious  metals,  upon  grounds  of 
iron  and  bronze,  which  are  unsurpassed,  and  we  may  say 
unsurpassable,  as  examples  of  Ornamental  or  Decorative 
Art  in  their  own  class. 

The  Japanese  have  always  shown  a  warm  love  for  the 
common  productions  of  nature,  and  have  with  the  greatest 
ingenuity  bent  them  to  their  service  in  the  Ornamental 
Arts.  Such  materials  as  finely  marked  and  coloured  woods, 
ivory,  mother-of-pearl,  tortoise-shell,  coral,  metallic  ores, 
pure  metals,  alloys,  rock-crystal  and  coloured  stones  have 
one  and  all  been  manipulated  with  most  happy  results,  es- 


294  JAPAN 

pecially  in  their  Applied  and  Incrusted  Work.  To  this 
list  must  be  added  the  sap  of  the  Rhus  vernicifera^  which 
plays  the  most  important  part  in  the  greatest  art  industry 
of  the  country,  being  the  material  from  which  all  the  Japa- 
nese Lacquer  is  made. 

The  conditions  under  which  the  old  artists  and  artificers 
cultivated  their  special  talents  were  those  most  favourable 
to  the  production  of  perfect  works  of  art.  Living  under 
the  protection  and  in  the  establishments  of  the  great  Dai- 
mios,  perfectly  free  from  all  the  cares,  and  supplied  with 
all  the  necessaries  of  life,  they  concentrated  every  thought 
and  expended  the  most  loving  care  upon  each  object  they 
essayed  to  produce.  Time  was  of  no  account  to  them ; 
and  their  masters  were  well  content  to  watch  the  gradual 
development  of  ideas,  and  the  tedious  processes  of  manipu- 
lation, which  were  to  produce  masterpieces  never  before 
achieved.  It  was  under  such  circumstances  that  all  the 
great  artists  worked  for  centuries  prior  to  the  suppression 
of  the  feudal  system ;  and,  in  examining  their  masterpieces, 
especially  those  in  lacquer  and  metal-work,  we  can  with 
great  difficulty  form  any  idea  of  the  thought,  skill,  and 
time  expended  in  their  production. 

In  examining  or  passing  an  opinion  on  a  work  of 
Ornamental  Art,  one  cannot  well  separate  the  artistic 
design  from  the  manipulative  treatment ;  and  in  works  of 
Japanese  origin  the  separation  of  the  two  equally  im- 
portant elements  is  a  matter  well-nigh  impossible ;  this 
springs  from  the  fact  that  the  artist  and  workman  are  one 


MOTHER   AND   CHILD,   BY    KENZAN   (1663-1743),   IN   KENZAN- 
IMADO   WARE. 


ORNAMENTAL  ARTS  295 

individual,  and  that  mind  and  hand  go  together  in  all  he 
does.  It  is  true  that  the  artist  of  to-day  works  on  tradi- 
tion to  a  great  extent,  and  adopts  the  materials  and  motives 
for  his  designs  which  have  been  common  property  for 
generations ;  yet,  after  all,  there  are  evidences,  never 
wanting,  which  indicate  that  they  have  been  filtered 
through  his  own  heart  and  seen  through  the  window  of  his 
own  mind. 

We  are  not  going  to  press  an  opinion  that  all  the 
Japanese  artists  have  done  is  perfect  or  even  good  art,  as 
the  term  is  understood  in  the  West ;  on  the  contrary,  we 
will  freely  admit  that  their  works  are  full  of  imperfections 
and  even  distortions,  especially  in  the  schools  of  drawing ; 
but  yet  it  must  be  maintained  that  in  their  purely 
Ornamental  and  Decorative  Art  works  there  are  charms 
of  design,  quaint  beauties  of  treatment,  and  immense  skill 
in  the  graphic  delineation  of  natural  objects,  so  far  as  the 
immediate  requirements  extend,  and  in  the  happy  use  of 
different  materials,  which  one  can  find  in  the  corresponding 
works  of  no  other  nation.  Special  works  of  art  in  the 
shape  of  hanging  pictures,  kakemono^  are  hung  up  on 
certain  occasions,  and  help  to  relieve  the  extreme  simplicity 
of  the  apartments.  The  most  talented  Japanese  artists 
have  produced  many  of  their  best  drawings  in  the  shape  of 
kakemono;  and  numerous  examples  of  great  interest  are 
now  in  the  possession  of  European  and  American 
collectors. 

After  all,  a  very  careful  study  of  Japanese  art  throughout 


296  JAPAN 

its  extensive  range,  inclines  us  to  pronounce  the  entire 
family  of  native  artists  deficient  in  purely  inventive 
power.  On  the  other  hand,  the  marvellous  patience, 
highly  cultivated  manipulative  skill  and  the  happy  and 
lively  fancy  of  the  artisan  artists  of  Japan,  have  led  them 
to  improve  upon  every  idea  or  suggestion  they  have  re- 
ceived from  other  countries.  This  fact  may  be  readily 
proved  by  the  comparison  of  Japanese  and  Chinese  art 
works.  China,  India,  and  Korea  have  largely  contributed 
to  the  foundation  of  Japanese  art ;  and  it  is  not  a  difficult 
matter  to  trace  their  influence  in  the  works  of  all  the  great 
periods.  Every  thought,  however,  which  the  Japanese 
artist  has  received  from  these  nations,  he  has  invested  with 
a  charm  and  expression  peculiarly  his  own  ;  so,  although 
the  origin  may  be  foreign,  the  work  is  in  treatment  and 
excellence  altogether  Japanese. 


DECORATIVE  ARTS 

SIR  RUTHERFORD  ALCOCK 

THE  school  of  Art  due  to  the  native  genius  of  the 
Japanese  as  a  race  is  essentially  decorative,  and, 
in  its  application,  to  a  great  degree  purely  in- 
dustrial. Pictorial  art  as  understood  in  Europe  can  hardly 
be  said  to  have  any  existence  in  Japan.  Most  of  their 
decorative  designs  consist  of  natural  objects  treated  in  a 
conventional  way.  This  conventionalism  is,  however,  so 
perfect  and  free  in  its  allurements  that  nature  seems  to 
suggest  both  the  motive  and  the  treatment.  Though 
neither  botanically  nor  ornithologically  correct,  their 
flowers  and  their  birds  show  a  truth  to  nature,  and  a  habit 
of  minute  observation  in  the  artist,  which  cannot  be  too 
much  admired.  Every  blade  of  grass,  each  leaf  and 
feather,  has  been  the  object  of  loving  and  patient  study. 
It  has  been  rashly  assumed  by  some  of  the  writers  on 
Japanese  Art  that  the  Japanese  do  not  study  from  nature. 
All  their  work  is  an  emphatic  protest  against  so  erroneous 
a  supposition.  It  is  impossible  to  examine  even  the  in- 
ferior kind  of  work  without  seeing  evidences  of  minute 
and  faithful  study.  It  can  in  fact  be  shown  conclusively 
that  the  Japanese  have  derived  all  their  fundamental  ideas 
of  symmetry,  so  different  from  ours,  from  a  close  study  of 

297 


298  JAPAN 

nature  and  her  processes  in  the  attainment  of  endless 
variety. 

It  is  a  special  feature  in  their  art  that,  while  often  closely 
and  minutely  imitating  natural  objects,  such  as  birds, 
flowers,  and  fishes,  the  especial  objects  of  their  predilec- 
tion and  study,  they  frequently  combine  the  facts  of  ex- 
ternal nature  with  a  conventional  mode  of  treatment  better 
suited  to  their  purpose.  During  the  long  apprenticeship 
the  Japanese  serve  to  acquire  the  power  of  writing  with 
the  brush  the  thousand  complicated  characters  borrowed 
from  the  Chinese,  they  unconsciously  cultivate  the  habit 
of  minute  observation  and  the  power  of  accurate  imitation, 
and  with  these  a  delicacy  of  touch  and  freedom  of  hand 
which  only  long  practice  could  give.  A  hair's  breadth 
deviation  of  a  line,  or  the  slight  inclination  of  a  dot  or  an 
angle,  is  fatal  to  good  caligraphy,  both  among  the  Chinese 
and  the  Japanese.  When  they  come  to  use  the  pencil 
therefore  in  drawing,  they  are  possessed  of  the  finest  in- 
struments in  accuracy  of  eye  and  free  command  of  the 
brush.  Whether  a  Japanese  art-worker  sets  himself  to 
copy  what  he  sees  before  him  or  to  give  play  to  his  fancy  in 
combining  what  he  has  seen  with  some  ideal  in  his  mind, 
the  result  equally  shows  a  perfect  facility  of  execution  and 
easy  grace  in  all  the  lines. 

In  their  methods  of  ornamentation  the  Japanese  treat 
every  object  flatly,  as  do  their  Chinese  masters  to  this  day, 
and  this  to  a  certain  extent  has  tended  to  check  any  prog- 
ress in  pictorial  art,  though  they  have  obtained  other  and 


DECORATIVE  ARTS  299 

very  admirable  decorative  effects.  Without  being,  as  Mr. 
Cutler,1  in  common  with  some  other  writers,  assumes,  ig- 
norant of  chiaroscuro^  or  the  play  of  light  and  shadow,  it  is 
true  that  they  usually,  though  not  invariably,  paint  in  flat 
tones  as  on  a  vase  and  so  dispense  with  both.  It  is  not  a 
picture  so  much  as  a  decoration  that  they  produce,  but  it  is 
a  decoration  full  of  beauty  in  its  harmonized  tints  and 
graceful  freedom  of  design.  The  delicacy  of  touch  is 
everywhere  seen,  whether  bird,  or  leaf,  or  flower,  or  all 
combined  be  chosen  as  the  subject.  The  Japanese  artist 
especially  excels  in  conveying  an  idea  of  motion  in  the 
swift  flight  of  birds  and  gliding  movements  of  fishes,  one 
of  the  most  difficult  triumphs  of  art. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  golden  age  of  Japanese  art  is 
over  and  gone,  and  that  the  conditions  no  longer  exist,  and 
can  never  be  renewed,  under  which  it  has  developed  its 
most  characteristic  excellences.  A  feudal  state  in  which 
the  artist  and  the  workman  were  generally  one  and  the 
same  person,  or  at  least  in  the  same  feudal  relation  to  a 
chief  who  was  bound  to  support  them  working  or  idle, 
and  took  pride  in  counting  among  his  subjects  or  serfs  those 
who  could  most  excel  in  producing  objects  of  great  beauty 
and  artistic  value,  is  a  condition  as  little  likely  to  return  to 
Japan  as  the  former  isolation  and  freedom  from  all  foreign 
influences  of  the  people.  Under  these  altered  circum- 
stances it  is  to  be  feared  that  Japanese  Art  has  culminated 
and  shown  the  best  of  which  it  is  capable. 

1  Grammar  of  Japanese  Ornament  and  Design  (j88t). 


300  JAPAN 

One  of  the  characteristic  features  of  all  Japanese  art  is  in- 
dividuality of  character  in  the  treatment,  by  which  the 
absence  of  all  uniformity  and  monotony  or  sameness  is 
secured.  Repetition  without  any  variation  is  abhorrent  to 
every  Japanese.  Fret  patterns  are  in  constant  use  in  all 
Japanese  Art,  sometimes  in  the  form  of  borders,  and  more 
frequently  in  diapers,  which  they  use  with  excellent  effect 
on  surfaces  in  filling  up  and  varying  the  spaces,  in  combi- 
nation with  floral  and  other  designs.  Their  love  of  variety 
leads  them  to  adopt  several  different  diapers  in  covering  any 
surface,  often  enclosing  them  in  irregular-shaped  compart- 
ments, fitting  into  each  other,  or  detached  according  to  the 
fancy  of  the  artist  and  the  shape  of  the  object  ornamented. 
The  same  kind  of  ornamentation  and  decorative  art  is  car- 
ried out  in  their  woodwork,  as  may  constantly  be  seen  in 
their  cabinets  of  marquetrie  and  inlaid  boxes.  Their  predi- 
lection for  geometrical  forms  is  best  to  be  seen  in  their 
great  variety  of  diapers.  Nor  must  their  floral  diapers  be 
overlooked,  consisting  as  they  do  of  an  almost  infinite  va- 
riety for  covering  whole  surfaces,  in  which  flowers  and 
foliage  form  the  material.  In  the  spaces  of  decoration  as 
in  all  else,  the  Japanese  artist  studiously  avoids  uniformity 
or  repetition  of  exact  spacing.  He  repeats,  but  with  the 
greatest  irregularity  possible,  to  disguise,  as  it  were,  the 
repetition  of  what  is  in  effect  the  same  design  or  pattern. 

In  close  connection  with  the  diaper  system  of  orna- 
mentation is  that  known  as  powdering,  familiar  enough  in 
European  Art ;  but  in  Japan,  following  the  principle  of  ir- 


DECORATIVE  ARTS  301 

regularity,  the  decorator  avoids  any  regular  distribution  of 
the  design  adopted.  Lastly,  there  is  a  style  of  ornamenta- 
tion peculiarly  Japanese  which  consists  in  the  use  of  me- 
dallions grouped  or  scattered  over  a  surface — of  various 
colours  and  forms — and  filled  in  with  different  diapers,  the 
whole  producing  an  effect  as  pleasing  as  it  was  novel  when 
first  introduced  to  European  eyes, 

In  all  manipulations  of  metals  and  amalgams  the 
Japanese  are  great  masters.  They  not  only  "  are  in  pos- 
session of  secret  processes  unknown  to  workmen  in 
Europe,"  by  which  they  produce  effects  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  latter,  but  show  a  mastery  of  their  material  in  the 
moulding  and  designing  of  their  productions  which  imparts 
a  peculiar  freedom  and  grace  to  their  best  work.  A  lotus 
leaf  and  flower  and  seed-pod  they  will  produce  with  inimi- 
table fidelity  in  the  subtle  curves  and  undulating  lines  and 
surfaces,  and  in  the  most  minute  markings  of  leaf  and 
flower.  So  birds  and  fishes  and  insects  cast  in  bronze 
seem  instinct  with  life,  so  true  are  they  to  nature,  while  at 
other  times  the  same  objects  are  adopted  for  a  purely  con- 
ventional mode  of  treatment.  The  inlaying  and  overlay- 
ing of  metals,  bronze,  silver,  and  steel,  more  than  rival  the 
best  productions  of  the  ateliers  of  Paris  or  Berlin,  and  con- 
stitute a  special  art-industry,  with  some  features  of  finish 
and  excellence  not  yet  attained  in  Europe.  Of  the  metal- 
lurgic  triumphs  of  art  which  the  Japanese  may  justly  claim 
over  all  competitors,  Chinese,  Indian,  or  European,  perhaps 
the  greatest  is  the  perfection  to  which  they  have  brought 


302  JAPAN 

the  designs  in  "  Shakudo"  an  amalgam  of  which  are  usually 
made  the  brooches  or  buttons  used  to  fasten  their  tobacco- 
pouches  and  pocket-books,  or  to  ornament  the  handles  of 
their  swords.  "Sbakudo"  is  chiefly  of  iron,  relieved  by 
partial  overlaying  of  gold,  silver  and  bronze. 

In  the  varied  applications  of  the  art  of  enamelling,  the 
Japanese  have  run  their  great  rivals  in  cloisonne  work  very 
close,  although  upon  the  whole  the  Chinese  have  the  su- 
periority, their  colouring  being  more  brilliant  and  finely 
toned  in  harmony,  and  their  work  more  solid  and  satisfac- 
tory both  to  the  eye  and  the  touch.  A  dull  and  sombre 
tone  is  generally  adopted  in  Japanese  cloisonne  work,  which 
much  impairs  the  beauty  of  their  good  workmanship  in  its 
general  effect. 

There  is  a  great  field  for  the  display  of  their  originality 
and  love  of  variety  in  the  wall-papers,  which  are  much  used 
to  ornament  their  walls  and  screens.  What  has  already 
been  said  of  their  decorative  system  and  methods  of  surface 
ornamentation  applies  to  their  wall-papers ;  and  the  system 
itself  is  nowhere  so  severely  tried,  because  something  of 
mechanical  reproduction  is  unavoidable.  Whether  sten- 
cilled or  printed,  the  design  of  a  single  square  must  of  ne- 
cessity be  the  same  in  each.  By  what  force  of  imagination 
and  ingenuity  they  disguise  the  effect  of  exact  repetition, 
and  lead  the  eye  away  from  noticing  the  uniformity,  can 
only  be  realized  by  inspection  of  the  papers  covering  the 
walls  of  an  apartment,  and  no  description  could  supply  a 
substitute. 


DECORATIVE  ARTS  303 

Of  textile  fabrics  and  embroidery,  in  both  of  which  they 
have  developed  an  industry  peculiarly  their  own,  something 
of  the  same  kind  may  be  said  as  of  their  wall-papers. 
These  fabrics  have,  however,  been  so  familiarized  in  Eng- 
land by  the  eager  adoption  of  the  best  and  most  novel  in 
female  costumes  that  their  chief  characteristics  must  be  very 
generally  known.  It  was  the  custom  in  former  times  foi 
each  daimio  to  have  his  private  looms,  for  weaving  the  bro- 
cades which  he  himself  and  his  wife  and  family  required, 
and  also  the  fabrics  of  less  costly  materials  for  his  retainers. 
The  robes  manufactured  for  the  court  at  Kioto  and  Yedo 
were  in  like  manner  only  to  be  had  from  the  Imperial 
looms  ;  some  of  these,  a  gift  from  the  Shogun  on  a  min-. 
ister  taking  leave  of  his  court,  were  to  be  seen  in  the  Lon-* 
don  exhibition  of  1862. 

But  in  many  of  the  more  common  textile  fabrics  the  best 
evidence  perhaps  may  be  found  of  the  artistic  feeling  of 
the  nation,  and  the  universality  of  art  work.  Towels  and 
dusters  of  the  least  expensive  material  often  display  very 
choice  designs — as  do  also  the  Turkish  and  Syrian  fabrics 
of  the  same  quality.  A  piece  of  bamboo,  a  broken  branch 
of  blossoms,  or  a  flight  of  birds  in  counter-changed  colours, 
suffices  in  their  hands  to  produce  the  most  charming  effect, 
in  the  most  perfect  taste.  Their  embroidery  has  never 
been  excelled  in  beauty  of  design,  assortment  of  colours, 
and  perfection  of  needlework. 

It  is  true,  and  strange  as  true,  that  the  Japanese  have 
apparently  never  sought  to  overstep  the  limits  of  purely 


304  JAPAN 

decorative  art,  and  have  thus  stopped  short  of  the  art 
development  of  other  nations.  Whether  this  limitation 
be  from  some  organic  defect,  or  is  merely  a  result  of  their 
neglect  to  study  the  human  figure  and  master  the  diffi- 
culties of  proportion  seen  in  greatest  perfection  there,  it  is 
difficult  to  determine.  Certain  it  is,  they  have  never  ad- 
vanced so  far.  They  have  always  been  content  to  treat 
the  human  figure  in  a  conventional  style,  not  much  in  ad- 
vance of  the  Egyptian  rendering,  and  quite  incompatible 
with  good  drawing. 


ARCHITECTURE 
Houses — Castles — Pagodas — Bridges 

CHRISTOPHER  DRESSER 

THE  two  great  facts  now  before  us  which  concern 
our  study  of  Japanese  art  are  these, — Shinto,  which 
has  influenced  the  home  of  every  Japanese  for 
a  long  series  of  centuries,  has  stimulated  the  people  to 
the  most  conscientious  work  ;  and  Buddhism  has  created  a 
love  for  all  natural  objects.  These  two  influences  will 
account  for  many  of  those  qualities  which  characterize 
Japanese  works,  be  they  temples,  objects  of  utility  or  orna- 
ments. 

Before  we  begin  to  consider  Japanese  architecture  itself, 
we  must  look  at  one  or  two  of  those  circumstances  which 
have  always  modified  the  architecture  of  a  nation,  as  the 
climate,  the  materials  at  command  for  the  erection  of  edi- 
fices, and  the  wants  which  have  consequently  to  be  met  by 
the  production  of  a  building. 

Although  Japan  has  a  considerable  rainfall,  the  rain  is 
almost  exclusively  confined  to  one  season  of  the  year 
(about  six  weeks,  between  the  end  of  April  and  the  early 
part  of  June),  and  this  wet  period  is  followed  by  a  contin- 
uance of  wet  weather. 

This  is  a  general  statement,  but  the  climate  is  by  no 
3°5 


306  JAPAN 

means  the  same  throughout  the  whole  of  Japan.  In  the 
central  portion  cold  is  intense  on  some  winter  days,  while 
the  heat  is  great  in  summer ;  but  the  long  and  severe  frosts 
of  the  north  are  unknown  at  the  Satsuma  end  of  the 
country. 

The  Japanese  seek  shelter  from  the  rain,  and  they  desire 
houses  which  give  shade  from  the  sun.  They  also  require 
buildings  which  allow  of  the  freest  circulation  of  air.  They 
are  a  hardy  people,  and  can  stand  cold,  and  in  the  warmer 
season  lead  what  is  practically  an  outdoor  life.  At  this 
period  of  the  year,  and  indeed  through  most  of  the  winter 
days,  the  window-like  surroundings  of  their  houses  are  re- 
moved, when  all  that  remains  is  a  roof  supported  on  up- 
rights. 

But  although  a  Japanese  house  is  a  building  intended  to 
afford  shelter  from  rain  and  sun,  the  nature  of  the  building 
is  influenced  by  other  causes.  Japan  is  a  land  of  earth- 
quakes. And  this  brings  us  to  one  of  the  most  singular 
facts  connected  with  the  structure  of  Japanese  buildings  ; 
— a  method  adopted  with  the  special  view  of  insuring 
safety  during  these  periods  of  the  earth's  vibration. 

Japanese  houses  and  temples  are  put  together  in  a  solid 
and  simple  manner,  each  work  being  complete  in  itself,  and 
having  an  altogether  independent  existence.  Thus  a  Jap- 
anese house  is  in  no  way  built  upon  foundations,  or  fixed 
to  the  ground  on  which  it  rests.  It  stands  upon  a  series 
of  legs,  and  these  legs  usually  rest  on  round-topped  stones 
of  such  a  height  as  will,  during  the  rainy  season,  support 


ARCHITECTURE  307 

the  timber  uprights  above  any  water  that  may  lie  upon  the 
ground. 

I  am  aware  that  much  damage  has  occurred  through 
some  of  the  severe  earthquakes  felt  in  Japanese  cities ; 
and  one  that  passed  across  Yedo  within  the  memory  of  liv- 
ing men  caused  great  destruction  of  property  and  loss  of  life. 
I  am  confident  that  such  calamities  as  these  are  due  simply 
to  the  fact  that  the  Japanese  place  tile  roofs  upon  their 
houses,  for  these  tiles  can  readily  be  shaken  loose  and  are 
heavy  and  dangerous.  The  Japanese  suffer  much  from 
fire,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  dread  of  falling  sparks  led 
to  the  use  of  tiles  instead  of  thatch  about  five  hundred 
years  since.  Thatch  in  Japan  is  formed  of  straw,  certain 
fibrous  materials,  or  layers  of  the  inner  bark  of  a  kind  of 
cone-bearing  tree.  It  looks  well,  but  in  warm  weather  is 
highly  combustible.  Some  of  the  prettiest  roofs  that  I  have 
seen  in  Japan  are  formed  of  what  I  might  describe  as  little 
wooden  tiles. 

Certainly  there  is  but  little  danger  of  being  injured  from 
a  shock  if  the  building  is  of  wood  and  the  roof  is  of  a  mate- 
rial which  is  light  and  can  be  held  securely  in  its  place. 
Yet  the  Europeans  in  Tokio  are  encouraging  the  Japanese 
to  build  European  houses  with  stones  and  bricks ;  and  the 
Government  offices  are  of  these  materials,  while  it  is  pro- 
posed that  the  new  Mikado's  palace  be  also  of  European 
character.  To  me,  nothing  could  be  more  absurd  than  this 
departure  from  architectural  custom  which  has  had  the 
sanction  of  ages ;  and  the  result  of  this  incongruous  inno- 


308  JAPAN 

vation  will  probably  be  a  return  to  the  native  style  of  build- 
ing after  the  occurrence  of  some  dire  calamity. 

It  may  be  argued  that  Japanese  castles  are  built  of  stone ; 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  these  are  formed  of  vast 
blocks  so  arranged,  one  on  the  other,  that  each  wall  is  of 
pyramidal  shape,  slanting  from  the  base  to  the  apex  in  the 
old  Egyptian  manner.  These  walls  are  also  supported  from 
within,  and  are  tied  together  with  timbers  of  great  size ; 
indeed  it  would  almost  be  fair  to  say  that  the  castle  towers 
are  wooden  buildings  of  immense  strength  faced  with  slant- 
ing walls  which  consist  of  stones, — each  stone  being  in 
some  cases  more  than  twenty  feet  in  length. 

A  notable  instance  of  the  Japanese  understanding  of  the 
conditions  under  which  they  exist  occurs  in  the  manner  of 
giving  security  to  pagodas.  Pagodas  are  often  of  great 
height,  yet  many  have  existed  for  seven  hundred  years,  and 
have  withstood  successfully  the  many  vibrations  of  the 
ground,  which  must  have  inevitably  achieved  their  over- 
throw had  they  been  erections  of  stone  or  brick. 

When  I  first  ascended  a  pagoda  I  was  struck  with  the 
amount  of  timber  employed  in  its  construction  ;  and  I 
could  not  help  feeling  that  the  material  here  wasted  was 
even  absurdly  excessive.  But  what  offended  my  feelings 
most  was  the  presence  of  an  enormous  log  of  wood  in  the 
centre  of  the  structure,  which  ascended  from  its  base  to  its 
apex.  At  the  top  this  mass  of  timber  was  nearly  two  feet 
in  diameter,  and  lower  down  a  log  equally  large  was  bolted 
to  each  of  the  four  sides  of  this  central  mass.  I  was  so 


PAGODA   AT   ASAKUSA. 


ARCHITECTURE  309 

surprised  to  see  this  waste  of  timber  that  I  called  the  atten- 
tion of  my  good  friend  Sakata  to  the  matter;  and  especially 
denounced  the  use  of  the  centre  block.  To  my  astonish- 
ment he  told  me  that  the  structure  must  be  strong  to  sup- 
port the  vast  central  mass.  In  my  ignorance  I  replied  that 
the  centre  part  was  not  supported  by  the  sides,  but  upon 
reaching  the  top  I  found  this  monstrous  central  mass  sus- 
pended, like  the  clapper  of  a  bell;  and  when  I  descended  I 
could,  by  lying  on  the  ground,  see  that  there  was  an  inch 
of  space  intervening  between  it  and  the  earth  which  formed 
the  floor  of  the  pagoda. 

The  pagoda  is  to  a  Buddhist  temple  what  a  spire  is  to 
a  Christian  church ;  and  by  its  clever  construction  it  is 
enabled  to  retain  its  vertical  position  even  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  earthquake  shocks  :  for  by  the  swinging  of  this 
vast  pendulum,  the  centre  of  gravity  is  kept  within  the 
base. 

I  now  understood  the  reason  for  that  lavish  use  of  timber 
which  I  had  so  rashly  pronounced  to  be  useless ;  and  I  see 
that  there  is  a  method  in  Japanese  construction  which  is 
worthy  of  high  appreciation.  In  the  absence  of  any  other 
instance,  the  employment  of  this  scientific  method  of  keep- 
ing the  pagoda  upright  shows  how  carefully  the  Japanese 
have  thought  out  the  requirements  to  be  met. 

In  speaking  of  structure  reference  ought  to  be  made  to 
the  bridges  of  Japan.  These,  some  have  said,  prove  that 
the  Japanese  have  no  true  understanding  of  the  principles 
of  construction.  To  me  it  seems  that  we  might  as  well 


310  JAPAN 

deny  the  existence  of  structural  knowledge  in  England, 
because  in  certain  parts  of  the  country  we  find  planks  span- 
ning rivers,  and  other  ill  contrived  arrangements  for  the 
crossing  of  brooks,  as  deny  to  the  Japanese  a  knowledge 
which  they  possess  to  a  remarkable  degree,  because  we  find 
in  their  bridges  instances  of  false  construction. 

Japanese  bridges  are  of  many  kinds : — some  are  most 
primitive  in  character,  others  are  of  a  complex  nature ;  while 
some  show  an  understanding  of  true  structural  qualities. 

The  most  simple  bridge — if  bridge  it  may  be  called — 
used  for  the  passage  of  rivers  where  there  is  but  little 
traffic  consists  of  two  trunks  of  trees  placed  side  by  side, 
and  having  one  extremity  fixed  at  one  side  of  the  river, 
while  the  other,  which  reaches  within  jumping  distance  of 
the  opposite  side,  is  held  in  its  position  by  a  rope  fastened 
to  a  peg  at  some  little  distance  up  the  stream.  But  from 
this  they  advance  through  every  conceivable  degree  of 
complexity. 

There  are  bridges  made  of  piles  of  fagots.  There  are 
bridges  made  of  straight  bamboos,  resting  on  supports  in 
the  river  so  that  the  bridge  is  flat.  There  are  others  simi- 
larly formed  only  with  the  centre  raised  so  that  the  bridge 
somewhat  resembles  an  inverted  V.  There  is  also  a  bridge 
in  Japan  formed  of  stout  planks,  which  rest  on  the  de- 
capitated branching  tops  of  two  large  trees.  There  are 
bridges  supported  by  a  complicated  system  of  bracketing ; 
there  are  others  consisting  of  semicircular  arches  ;  while  in 
Kioto  we  find  what  is  called  the  "  spectacle  bridge," — a 


ARCHITECTURE  311 

bridge  with  two  circular  openings  through  which  the  water 
flows.  But  what  has  caused  Europeans  to  regard  the  Jap- 
anese as  devoid  of  a  knowledge  of  structure  is  the  fact  that 
some  of  the  bridges  which  have  the  arch  form  are  yet  propped 
by  supports.  As  these  supports  come  in  contact  with 
the  under  surface  of  the  arch,  such  bridges  reveal  no  un- 
derstanding of  structural  qualities.  So  far  as  I  have  seen, 
these  curved  and  yet  supported  bridges  are  invariably 
formed  of  wood ;  hence  they  differ  widely  from  arched 
structures  formed  of  stone.  Yet  if  Japan  contains  many  il- 
lustrations of  false  structure,  these  do  not  prove  that  Japan 
does  not  possess  men  who  have  perfect  understanding  of 
true  structural  principles. 

The  Japanese  have  never  been  great  engineers,  but  they 
have,  undoubtedly  been  great  architects.  Architecture  in- 
volves a  knowledge  of  structure,  but  engineering  does  not 
necessarily  involve  any  knowledge  of  the  beautiful,  as  we 
so  often  discover  to  our  dismay  in  England.  A  man  may 
be  able  to  construct  an  edifice  so  that  it  will  stand  securely, 
but  he  may  be  altogether  unable  to  erect  a  beautiful  build- 
ing. No  one  could  look  upon  either  the  great  temples  of 
Shiba  or  of  Nikko  without  feeling  that  the  architect  of  these 
glorious  buildings  understood  perfectly  the  principles  both 
of  construction  and  beauty. 


PAINTING 

WILLIAM  ANDERSON 

JAPANESE  pictorial  art  in  its  main  principles  of  style 
and  technique  must  be  regarded  as  a  scion  of  the 
more  ancient  art  of  China,  in  which  the  characters 
of  the  parent  stock  have  been  varied  by  native  grafts.  In 
its  motives,  it  claims  a  share  of  originality  at  least  equal  to 
that  of  any  art  extant ;  in  the  range  and  excellence  of  its 
decorative  applications  it  takes  perhaps  the  first  place  in  the 
world ;  but  in  the  qualities  of  scientific  completeness  it  falls 
much  below  the  standard  of  modern  Europe. 

Regarded  as  a  whole,  it  is  an  art  of  great  potentiality, 
but  incomplete  development.  It  displays  remarkable  beau- 
ties and  obvious  faults  ;  but  while  the  latter  are  pardonable 
and  remediable  effects  of  a  mistaken  reverence  for  the 
traditional  conventions,  the  former  demonstrate  the  existence 
of  qualities  that  mere  academical  teaching  could  never 
supply. 

To  differentiate  the  principal  characters  of  the  leading 
schools,  it  may  be  said  that  of  the  older,  the  Buddhist  is  the 
most  ancient,  the  most  strictly  traditional,  the  most  ornate, 
but  in  certain  examples  the  noblest  and  most  impressive; 
the  Chinese  school,  with  the  Sesshien  and  Kano  branches, 
displays  the  greatest  caligraphic  power,  but  the  least  inven- 

312 


KAKEMONO,   BY    HOKUSAI,    REPRESENTING   OFUKU    THROWING 
BEANS   AT   A    DEMON;    PAINTED   ABOUT    1800. 


PAINTING  313 

tion,  and  the  Yamato  Tosa  is  the  most  national  in  style  and 
motive,  but  the  least  forcible.  Of  the  later  schools,  the 
Korin  is  the  most  purely  and  boldly  decorative  ;  the  Shijo 
the  most  natural  and  graceful ;  and  the  Ukiyo-ye  the  most 
original  and  versatile,  but  the  least  cultivated.  The  four 
latter,  with  the  Toba-ye  caricatures,  represent  the  native, 
the  first  four  the  "  classical  "  phases  of  the  art.  European 
pictorial  art,  hitherto  imperfectly  understood,  has  exercised 
little  appreciable  influence  over  that  of  Japan,  except  in  some 
of  the  popular  book  illustrations,  and  a  few  very  modern 
pictures,  and  has,  so  far,  weakened  the  national  characteris- 
tics of  the  work  without  advancing  its  scientific  ideal. 

The  typical  Japanese  artist  is  a  caligraphist  and  impres- 
sionist. As  an  impressionist  he  fairly  claims  the  right  to 
represent  no  more  of  his  subject  than  he  considers  sufficient 
to  convey  his  meaning,  and  seeks  rather  to  awaken  ideas 
by  suggestion  than  to  explain  them  by  elaboration  of  de- 
tail ;  but  he  does  not  care  to  admit  that  all  he  elects  to  re- 
produce should  be  true,  or  at  any  rate  free  from  obvious 
falsity.  Those  who  are  most  inclined  to  admit  his  main 
principle  would  find  it  hard  to  offer  an  excuse  for  placing  a 
front  view  of  the  eye  upon  a  profile,  for  caricaturing  the 
muscles  of  an  athlete  by  misplaced  and  misshapen  slabs  of 
flesh,  for  introducing  the  light  of  day  into  a  night  scene,  or 
for  wilfully  ignoring  the  facts  of  chiaroscuro  in  the  optical 
phenomena  of  perspective ;  but  in  all  these  vagaries  and 
many  others  the  painter  indulges  himself  hardily  and  habit- 
ually. His  work  is  not  a  lie,  for  he  does  not  deceive  him- 


314  JAPAN 

self  or  others;  but  it  is  weak  in  accepting  an  inefficient 
sham  when  the  reality  is  within  his  reach.  He  sacrifices 
the  substance  of  nature  for  its  hazy  and  distorted  reflection 
in  the  mirror  of  conventionality,  and  is  tempted  to  veil  by 
a  fatal  facility  of  brush  the  defects  of  interpretation  which 
a  more  complete  "  finish  "  would  only  throw  into  disagree- 
able prominence. 

Regarding  the  art  from  a  caligraphic  standpoint,  we 
must  grant  that  the  leaders  of  the  schools  of  the  Fifteenth 
and  Sixteenth  Centuries,  and  some  of  their  predecessors, 
attained  the  extreme  limits  of  excellence;  yet  we  must 
recognize  at  the  same  time  that  they  were  neither  the 
originators  nor  the  sole  representatives  of  their  style.  As 
art  caligraphists,  they  were  only  the  pupils  of  the  Chinese 
masters  of  the  T'ang,  Sung,  and  Yuen  dynasties,  and  could 
not — in  fact  did  not — claim  to  have  surpassed  their  in- 
structors ;  but  even  were  they  without  precursors  or  rivals 
in  this  direction,  the  comparative  value  of  a  caligraphic 
basis  for  pictorial  art  remains  open  to  discussion.  The 
Chinese  or  Japanese  painter  can  undoubtedly  stamp  his 
work  with  an  unmistakable  impress  of  mental  culture  and 
artistic  feeling,  but  he  can  give  expression  to  all  this  as 
clearly — for  his  countrymen  at  least — in  a  line  of  writing 
as  in  a  portrait  of  a  Buddhist  god.  We  may,  perhaps,  ac- 
cept writing,  especially  that  of  China,  as  a  branch  of  art; 
but  the  Japanese  teaching  in  the  past  tended  to  reduce 
painting  to  the  contracted  dimensions  of  a  branch  of  calig- 
raphy. 


PAINTING  315 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Japanese  painter  has  endowments 
which  leave  a  heavy  balance  in  his  favour — a  large  share  of 
that  quality  in  art  which,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  may 
be  called  "  power  "  ;  a  perfect  appreciation  of  harmony  in 
colour;  an  instinctive  sense  of  effectiveness  and  propriety 
in  composition ;  unequalled  command  of  pencil ;  a  ready 
and  fertile  invention  ;  and,  when  he  is  disposed  to  exercise 
it,  a  keen  and  intelligent  gift  of  observation. 

This  ancient  phase  of  pictorial  art  is  destined  to  pass 
away,  and  already  its  images,  overlapped  by  those  of  a  new 
ideal,  betray  all  the  confusion  of  the  change  in  a  dissolving 
view;  but  it  will  leave  indelible  traces  on  that  which  is  to 
replace  it,  and  it  must  always  possess  a  powerful  attraction 
for  the  student,  not  only  as  matter  for  an  important  and 
interesting  section  of  art  history,  but  as  a  record  of  the 
mental,  moral  and  social  characteristics  of  the  people  and 
castes  by  whom  it  was  nourished  and  in  some  degree 
created. 


POTTERY  AND  PORCELAIN 

AUGUSTUS  W.  FRANKS 

JAPANESE  writers  refer  the  origin  of  the  making  of 
pottery  to  a  remote  period,  anterior  to  B.  c.  600,  their 
date  for  the  commencement  of  real  history  in  Japan. 
Vases  are  found  in  ancient  tombs,  and  from  their  some- 
times containing  claw-like  ornaments  in  hard  stone,  they 
are  known  as  magaiama  tsubo^  or  "  precious  jewel  vases." 
They  are  probably  the  remains  of  a  race  which  preceded 
the  existing  Japanese,  though  perhaps  to  a  certain  extent 
merged  in  it — a  race  connected  with  the  Ainos,  and  who 
are  known  to  have  occupied,  even  in  historic  times,  the 
northern  part  of  the  main  island.  The  pottery  is  coarsely 
made,  and  resembles  somewhat  the  early  pottery  of  Europe. 
Some  of  the  specimens,  however,  have  a  considerable  affin- 
ity to  vessels  discovered  in  North  America,  the  exact  age 
of  which  is  not  settled. 

During  the  first  two  centuries  of  our  era  Korean  potters 
came  to  Japan,  and  no  doubt  introduced  some  improve- 
ments;  one  of  the  greatest,  however,  was  due  to  native 
talent,  being  the  introduction  of  the  potters'  wheel  by 
Giyogi,  a  native  of  the  province  of  Idzumi.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Suinin,  B.  c.  27,  the 
followers  of  the  Korean  prince,  Amano  Hiboko,  settled  at 

316 


POTTERY  AND  PORCELAIN       317 

Hasama,  province  of  Omi,  where  they  manufactured  a 
kind  of  pottery  somewhat  harder  than  that  previously 
made.  After  the  successful  invasion  of  Korea  by  the 
Japanese  Empress  Jingo,  in  A.  D.  200,  several  Koreans 
settled  in  Japan,  and  made  pottery.  In  463,  some 
Japanese  princes  introduced  from  Petsi  a  number  of 
colonists,  among  whom  were  some  potters ;  but  these  were 
stated  to  have  belonged  to  a  Chinese  corporation  established 
in  Korea.  Koreans  were  likewise  concerned  in  establish- 
ing the  factory  at  Karatsu  (Hizen)  at  the  end  of  the 
Seventh  Century,  the  Raku  fabric  at  Kioto,  about  1550, 
another  at  Seto  about  1590,  and,  somewhat  later,  one  at 
Hagi.  The  principal  fabric,  however,  which  they  had  to 
do  with  is  the  well-known  one  of  Satsuma,  where  the  kilns 
were  built  on  Korean  models,  and  the  potters  formed  a 
class  apart,  not  being  allowed  to  marry  out  of  their  own 
community.  Excepting,  however,  the  Satsuma  ware,  the 
Koreans  do  not  appear  to  have  introduced  any  pottery  of 
remarkable  excellence. 

The  Chinese  influence  produced  more  important  results. 
In  1223,  Kato  Shirozayemon,  better  known  as  Toshiro, 
returned  from  China,  where  h°  had  been  to  study  the  art 
of  making  pottery.  He  settled  at  Seto  (Owari)  and  made 
a  glazed  stoneware,  employing  for  the  earlier  specimens 
Chinese  clay. 

For  the  manufacture  of  porcelain  the  Japanese  are  also 
indebted  to  the  Chinese,  though  this  was  not  introduced 
till  the  Sixteenth  Century.  In  1513,  Gorodayu  Shonsui 


318  JAPAN 

of  Ise  returned  from  China  and  settled  in  the  province  o 
Hizen.  The  porcelain  which  he  made  was  chiefly  on  the 
Chinese  models,  and  only  ornamented  with  blue  painting. 
The  various  porcelain  factories  of  Hizen  seem  to  have 
been  established  on  the  principle  introduced  by  him.  In 
1799,  there  were  no  less  than  eighteen  factories  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Imari  in  that  province.  Two  of  them, 
Okawaji  and  Mikawaji,  did  not  make  their  wares  for  sale, 
being  the  private  factories  of  the  princes  of  Saga  and 
Hirato  respectively.  Of  the  factories  producing  porcelain 
for  sale,  it  is  stated  that  only  one  decorated  its  wares  with 
colours  and  gilding,  and  from  it  must  have  proceeded  the 
great  quantity  of  porcelain  known  to  us  under  the  name 
of  "  Old  Japan."  This  was  first  made  in  1641  for  ex- 
portation to  China,  probably  to  supply  the  Portuguese 
market  at  Macao,  and  afterwards  exported  by  the  Dutch 
to  all  parts  of  Europe.  It  would  be  very  interesting  to 
know  whence  was  derived  the  peculiar  style  of  decoration, 
which  is  evidently  not  borrowed  from  the  Chinese.  The 
sets  of  vases  would  be  useless  in  a  Japanese  house,  there 
being  no  place  on  which  they  could  be  stood  ;  and  their 
rarity  in  that  country  is  shown  by  their  being  seldom  now 
received,  and  by  the  high  prices  which  are  asked  for  them. 
We  have  spoken  of  the  pottery  of  Seto,  but  its 
porcelain  has  considerable  merit,  and  though  the  factory 
is  of  more  recent  origin  than  those  of  Hizen,  it  has  oddly 
enough  given  its  name  to  porcelain,  which  is  often  known 
in  Japan  as  Setomono,  or  Seto  ware. 


POTTERY  AND  PORCELAIN       319 

The  Kutani  factory  was  founded  in  the  Seventeenth 
Century  by  Tamura  Gonzayemon,  and  was  improved  by 
Goto  Saijiro,  who  had  studied  porcelain-making  in  Hizen. 
Its  earlier  productions  are  a  coarse  kind  of  porcelain, 
decorated  in  strong  colours ;  but,  later,  this  gave  way  to 
the  well-known  red  decoration,  familiar  to  us  under  the 
name  of  Kaga,  chiefly  used  on  a  fine  yellow  pottery. 

The  Satsuma  ware,  so  much  esteemed  by  European  col- 
lectors, was  made  at  first  in  small  quantities  for  the  use  of 
the  Prince  of  Satsuma  and  his  friends.  The  decoration  in 
colours  was  not  introduced  till  the  end  of  the  last  century. 
Most  of  the  specimens  sold  as  old  Satsuma  have  been 
made  at  Ota  and  Awata  in  recent  times. 

The  various  wares  made  at  Kioto,  by  Ninsei  and  his 
followers,  Kenzan  and  others,  are  remarkable  for  their 
quaint  and  fanciful  forms,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  their  being 
made  at  the  city  in  which  the  Mikado  resided,  and  for  the 
use  of  his  courtiers. 

The  ceramic  wares  of  Japan  exhibit  great  differences  in 
their  composition,  texture  and  appearance,  but  may  be 
roughly  classed  under  three  principal  heads :  (i)  common 
pottery  and  stoneware,  generally  ornamented  simply  by 
scoring  and  glazing  the  surface;  (2)  a  cream-coloured 
faience,  with  a  glaze,  often  crackled,  and  delicately  painted 
in  colours ;  (3)  hard  porcelain.  To  the  first  of  these 
classes  belong  the  wares  of  Bizen,  old  Seto,  Shigaraki,  and 
other  small  fabrics,  including  the  Raku  wares. 

The  principal  factories  of  the  second  class  are  Awata, 


320  JAPAN 

Satsuma,  and  the  recent  imitations  of  the  latter  at  Ota  and 
elsewhere. 

Among  the  porcelain  the  coarsest  is  that  made  at 
Kutani,  but  the  most  celebrated  fabrics  are  in  the  province 
of  Hizen,  at  Seto  in  Owari,  and  Kiyomidzu  near  Kioto. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  vases  used  in  the  tea- 
ceremony  :  the  furnace,  water-vessel,  jar  to  hold  the  pow- 
dered tea,  pan  for  ashes,  and  tea-bowl  (see  page  285).  We 
next  come  to  vessels  employed  in  incense-burning,  which, 
as  we  have  seen,  forms  part  of  the  tea-ceremony,  but 
was  likewise  a  favourite  pastime  among  the  Japanese 
nobles  of  old  times.  The  game  consisted  in  guessing  the 
name  of  the  perfume  which  was  being  burnt,  with  the 
usual  forfeits,  etc.  We  find  here  incense  boxes  (kogo)  of 
the  most  varied  forms,  generally  small  in  size.  The  in- 
cense-burner (koro)  varies  also  considerably,  sometimes 
taking  the  forms  of  men,  animals,  or  birds.  The  lower 
part  of  the  vessel  was  filled  with  a  fine  white  ash,  on  which 
a  piece  of  lighted  charcoal  was  placed,  and  again  upon  this 
the  incense.  This  arrangement  will  account  for  few  of 
the  incense-burners  showing  any  marks  of  fire  on  the  lower 
part,  though  plentiful  traces  of  smoke  may  be  observed  on 
their  lids  and  elsewhere. 

The  only  vessel  connected  with  tobacco-smoking  which 
is  made  in  pottery  is  the  fire-holder,  from  which  the  smoker 
lights  his  pipe.  The  vessel  is  generally  of  small  size,  and 
cylindrical  in  form,  to  fit  into  the  lacquer  smoking-box  in 
which  the  Japanese  keep  all  their  apparatus  for  smoking. 


POTTERY  AND  PORCELAIN       321 

For  keeping  the  hands  warm  a  small  earthenware  brazier 
(shiu-ro)  was  used,  somewhat  pear-shaped  in  form,  with  an 
opening  on  one  side.  This  vessel  is  sometimes  very 
quaintly  shaped. 

The  objects  for  use  at  the  writing-table  consist  of  small 
ornamental  screens,  used  also  as  paper-weights,  vases  for 
washing  the  brushes  or  pencils  used  in  writing,  vases  for 
holding  them,  and  small  closed  vessels  for  supplying  water 
to  the  inkstand.  These  are  very  various  in  form,  but  all 
have  a  diminutive  spout  to  allow  the  water  to  issue,  drop 
by  drop,  and  a  small  hole  on  which  to  place  the  finger  to 
regulate  the  flow. 

The  vases  for  sake  drinking  are  chiefly  bottles,  either 
square,  round,  or  polygonal,  and  jugs  with  spouts  some- 
thing like  kettles,  or  tea-pots.  The  sake  is  generally  drunk 
out  of  small  porcelain  cups,  sometimes  graduated  in  size. 

The  tea-pots  (dobin)  are  generally  of  two  forms — one 
like  the  ordinary  European  vessel,  the  other  (kiu-su)  with  a 
hollow  handle  at  right  angles  to  the  spout.  The  latter  was 
first  introduced  in  the  Fifteenth  Century.  The  cups  are 
of  the  ordinary  form,  but  without  handles  ;  a  saucer,  when 
there  is  one,  serves  only  as  a  stand  for  the  cup.  At  their 
meals  plates  and  dishes  are  used,  but  chiefly  of  the  saucer 
shape,  the  flat  edge  being  made  only  to  suit  European 
habits.  Small  bowls  are  used  for  eating  rice,  an  invariable 
feature  of  a  Japanese  meal,  but  the  rice  is  served  in  a  large 
wooden  or  lacquer  bowl.  Bowls  to  contain  cake  may  be 
found  of  varied  and  elegant  forms.  Small  saucers  are  used 


322  JAPAN 

to  hold  comfits.  Coarse  pottery  is  naturally  employed  for 
all  kinds  of  kitchen  uses,  gardening  and  agriculture,  among 
others  for  steeping  rice  and  other  grains. 

In  ornamental  pieces  we  find  a  number  of  figures,  both 
of  men  and  animals.  The  flower-vases  form  a  large  class. 
As  in  China  so  in  Japan,  the  people  have  a  great  admi- 
ration for  flowers.  Their  nosegays,  however,  are  very 
different  from  ours — a  picturesque  disposition  of  a  piece 
of  old  fir-tree  and  one  or  two  other  plants  being  the  end  to 
be  attained.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  describe  the  ordi- 
nary flower-vases  (hana-ike) ;  but  one  class,  the  hanging 
flower-vases  attached  to  the  beam  of  the  room,  deserve 
notice  from  their  quaint  and  fantastic  character.  The 
most  varied  forms  are  sought  for — a  bunch  of  wistaria 
(fuji),  an  old  pine  cone,  a  section  of  bamboo,  a  gourd,  a 
firefly,  a  swallow  beating  as  it  were  against  the  wall,  are 
designs  that  may  be  found  in  these  vases.  It  is  a  question 
whether  what  we  are  pleased  to  call  decorative  vases  be- 
long to  the  proper  native  Japanese  taste ;  they  are  either 
copies  of  Chinese  originals  or  made  for  the  European  mar- 
ket. Such  objects  would  be  quite  out  of  place  in  a  Jap- 
anese interior.  Moreover,  pairs  of  vases  would  be  quite 
contrary  to  Japanese  fancy,  which  abhors  symmetry. 

On  Chinese  porcelain  the  marks  chiefly  consist  of  a  date, 
the  names  of  the  halls  at  which  it  was  made,  inscriptions 
commending  the  specimens,  or  ornamental  devices,  none  of 
which  throw  any  light  on  the  locality  of  the  manufacture. 
The  Japanese  marks  are  far  more  instructive.  Dates  in- 


POTTERY  AND  PORCELAIN       323 

deed  are  less  frequent  than  with  the  Chinese,  but  we  occa- 
sionally find  the  Japanese  nengo^  which  like  the  Chinese 
nien-hao,  is  an  arbitrary  name  given  to  the  reign,  or  a  por- 
tion of  the  reign,  of  an  emperor.  We  frequently  find  the 
name  of  places  at  which  the  wares  were  made,  or  some- 
times the  names  by  which  they  are  known,  for  instance, 
Asahi,  Minato,  etc.  The  most  common  mark,  however, 
on  Japanese  wares,  is  the  name  of  the  potter. 


SCULPTURE  AND  CARVING 

MARCUS  B.  HUISH 

SCULPTURE  in  Japan  originated  in  the  service  of 
religion,  and  the  only  examples  of  any  size  which 
come  under  our  notice  in  this  country,  are  those 
which  partake  of  this  character.  Principal  among  these 
are  shrines  and  figures  of  deities.  Few  date  back  beyond 
the  Sixteenth  Century. 

The  images  of  deities  are  for  the  most  part  of  the 
Seventeenth  Century,  as  in  1614,  an  edict  was  issued  by 
Hidetada  that  every  house  should  contain  one,  and  this 
must  have  given  a  considerable  impetus  to  their  creation, 
for  the  mere  force  of  example  would  probably  induce  the 
majority  of  believers  to  discard  their  old  idol  for  a  new  one. 
Many  of  the  shrine  cases,  too,  in  which  they  are  enclosed 
testify  by  their  metal  ornamentation  to  the  hands  of  the 
Gotos,  living  at  that  time,  having  been  employed  upon 
them. 

This  compulsory  edict  may  have  been  indirectly  the 
cause  of  the  netsuk'e  taking  its  present  shape.  In  thiswise: 
it  was  the  introduction  of  tobacco,  some  time  in  the  Six- 
teenth Century,  which  called  it  into  existence.  The  edict 
shortly  afterwards  also  created  a  numerous  body  of  crafts- 

324 


SCULPTURE  AND  CARVING       325 

men,  whose  business  it  was  to  furnish  every  family  with  a 
carving  in  miniature  of  a  deified  figure. 

There  is  no  section  of  Japanese  Art  which  succeeds  in 
attracting  the  attention  of  everybody  who  is  brought  into 
contact  with  it,  so  much  as  that  which  is  comprised  under 
the  heading  of  netsuk'e  carvings.  Enthusiasts  have  gone  so 
far  as  to  compare  them  to  the  Tanagra  figures  of  Greek 
origin.  Until  very  recently  a  netsuk'e  was  a  term  which 
included,  in  the  minds  of  all  foreigners,  every  carving  be- 
low a  certain  size,  and  it  is  only  a  comparatively  small  class 
who  now  know  the  contrary.  In  reality,  a  netsuk'e  is  a 
toggle  affixed  by  a  cord  to  the  tobacco  pouch,  or  the  pipe 
or  the  inrof  to  prevent  it  from  slipping  through  the  sash  or 
waistband.  In  early  times  it  probably  had  little,  if  any, 
ornamentation,  but  gradually,  as  it  was  one  of  the  few 
articles  upon  a  Japanese's  dress  which  admitted  of  it,  orna- 
mentation was  added.  But  so  long  as  it  was  used  as  a 
toggle  it  never  lost  its  original  idea,  or  its  form ;  so  that 
whenever  we  see  a  netsuk'e  without  compactness,  or  with 
extraneous  excrescences  which  would  catch  the  folds  of  the 
dress,  or  break  off,  it  may  be  taken  for  certain  that  it  is  of 
modern  date  and  has  been  made  for  the  outside  market. 

Netsukes  are  made  of  wood,  or  lacquered  wood,  elephant 
or  walrus  ivory,  boars'  tusks  or  teeth  of  animals,  vegetable 
ivory,  horns  of  stags,  antelopes,  and  oxen  (the  latter  some- 
times compressed),  fishbone,  walnut  or  other  shells,  jade, 

1  Medicine-case  or  seal-box,  a  nest  of  small  compartments,  suspended 
from  the  girdle  of  the  Samurai. 


326  JAPAN 

metal,  porcelain,  amber,  onyx,  coral  and  crystal.  The 
oldest  are  those  of  wood ;  ivory  was  only  imported  in  any 
quantity  in  the  Eighteenth  Century,  and  it  is  singular  that 
whilst  those  made  from  this  material  are  almost  always  in- 
ferior to  those  carved  from  wood,  they  hold  the  pride  of 
place  in  the  estimation  of  the  majority  of  collectors.  The 
wood  used,  which  is  generally  the  core  of  the  cherry-tree 
is  softer,  more  subtle,  and  less  liable  to  splinter  than  ivory, 
and  whereas  the  latter  usually  fails  with  age,  the  wood 
hardens  and  acquires  a  patina  of  a  rich  warm  hue.  Ivories 
are  subjected  to  soaking  in  coffee  and  all  sorts  of  mixtures 
to  make  them  assume  an  antique  appearance. 

The  ancient  city  of  Nara,  probably  owing  to  its  being  a 
place  replete  with  temples,  was  for  centuries  celebrated  for 
its  wood-carvers,  and  it  was  here  that  many  of  the  most 
notable  netsu&e-makers  lived.  Osaka  was  also  the  head- 
quarters of  a  large  number,  as  was  Kioto. 

Those  makers  whose  works  are  most  sought  after  are, 
Shiuzan,  Miwa,  Ikkan,  Masanao,  Tomotada,  Tadatoshi, 
Deme-Uman  and  Deme-Joman,  Minko,  Tomochika, 
Kokei.  Shiuzan  lived  at  Nara  towards  the  close  of  the 
Seventeenth  Century.  Authentic  examples  of  his  work  are 
very  rare,  and  very  few,  if  any,  of  those  which  bear  his 
name  are  genuine.  The  signature  of  Shiuzan  is  affixed  to 
a  number  of  brightly  coloured  figurines  which  do  not  pre- 
tend to  be  of  ancient  date,  and  also  to  others  from  which 
time  has  almost  erased  the  traces  of  colouring  in  a  style 
which  was  affected  by  the  master. 


CARVED  IVORY  GROUP,   BY  MEI-GIOKU  BUTSU,   REPRESENTING   THE 
FAMOUS   ARCHER  TAMETOMO  AND   HIS   SWORD-BEARER. 


SCULPTURE  AND  CARVING       327 

The  Miwa  family  came  from  Yedo.  The  netsukes  of  the 
first  maker  of  this  name  are  held  in  high  esteem  and  are  of 
great  rarity,  and  it  is  probably  also  the  case  with  his  netsukes 
that  few  of  those  which  pass  current  as  his  are  actually  so. 
M.  Gonse  can  only  count  with  certainty  six  in  Paris.  He 
considers  that  it  is  impossible  to  compress  into  the  space 
more  grandeur  of  style  and  knowledge  of  drawing  than  is 
to  be  found  in  the  works  of  this  master.  It  is  said  that 
Miwa  sometimes  coloured  his  netsukes^  but  of  this  there  is 
little  evidence;  his  subjects  were  invariably  figures. 

There  is  a  class  of  ivory  netsukes  about  which  little  is 
known,  even  by  such  experts  as  Mr.  Gilbertson.  I  refer 
to  the  tall  archaic  stiff  oddly-dressed  figures  from  three  to  six 
inches  high,  invariably  of  ivory,  much  worn  both  as  to  the 
noses  and  any  projecting  surfaces.  None  of  the  old  and 
very  few  of  the  modern  ones  are  signed.  The  former  very 
often  represent  the  figure  of  a  Sennin l  with  a  toad  on  his 
shoulder  or  head,  or  else  a  figure  clad  in  what  I  believe  to 
be  Dutch  costume.  They  have  evidently  served  for  some- 
thing heavier  than  an  inro  or  pouch,  possibly  a  metal  pipe. 
Mr.  Gilbertson  considers  that  from  their  large  size  and  the 
material  employed  they  were  neither  cheap  nor  common  in 
Japan.  They  frequently  appear  in  miscellaneous  lots,  and 
every  collection  should  contain  a  representative  specimen. 

There  are  certain  names  which  are  identified  with  the 
portrayal  of  animals,  and  many  of  them  have  produced 
works  which  leave  nothing  to  be  desired.  Amongst  them 
1  Supernatural  being. 


328  JAPAN 

Ikkan  was  noted  for  his  rats,  Masanao  for  fowls  and  rats, 
Masatami  for  his  rabbits,  Tomotada  for  his  oxen,Tadatoshi 
for  snails,  and  Tametaka  for  wild  boars.  Sokwa  Hei-shiro 
worked  at  flowers  and  grasses  in  baskets. 

Those  who  excelled  in  figures  were  Minkoku,  Sensai 
and  Masanao,  and  in  groups  Nobuyuki.  As  Mr.  Ander- 
son has  so  well  expressed :  "  The  designs  of  the  netsuk'e- 
carvers  embrace  the  whole  range  of  Japanese  motives,  and 
the  artist  tells  his  story  with  the  utmost  lucidity.  Nothing 
is  safe  from  his  humour  except,  perhaps,  the  official  powers 
that  be,  of  whom  the  Japanese  citizen  has  a  salutary  dread. 
Religion,  history,  folk-lore,  novels,  incidents  of  daily  life, 
all  provide  material  for  his  tools,  and  his  subjects  are  mostly 
treated  in  a  comic  or  even  flippant  vein.  The  pious 
Dharma,  or  Daruma,  aroused  from  his  nine  years'  motion- 
less contemplation  by  the  attentions  of  an  obtrusive  rat 
who  ventures  to  nibble  the  saintly  ear,  is  made  to  assume 
an  expression  suggestive  of  the  strongest  equivalent  for 
swearing  of  which  we  may  suppose  a  good  Buddhist  to  be 
capable.  The  Thunder  God  is  seen  extracting  the  storm- 
cloud  from  the  basket  that  gives  it  stowage  room  in 
idle  days  of  sunshine.  An  inquisitive  bird  has  unwarily  in- 
serted his  long  beak  between  the  valves  of  a  giant  clam, 
whose  gaping  shell  had  invited  the  incautious  search  after 
the  unknown,  and  now,  with  straining  thighs  and  flapping 
wings,  struggles  vainly  to  regain  his  liberty.  An  expectant 
domestic  party  surround  a  fish-kettle,  while  the  head  of  the 
family  triumphantly  extracts  a  carp  of  tempting  proportions, 


SCULPTURE  AND  CARVING       329 

but  the  averted  heads,  disgusted  faces,  and  finger-tweaked 
noses  of  the  hungry  group,  eloquently  proclaim  the  central 
idea  of  Buddhism — the  impermanency  of  all  things  and  the 
vanity  of  human  wishes.  Such  examples  might  be  multi- 
plied without  end." 

It  is  this  variety  of  subject  which  gives  so  great  an  in- 
terest to  the  collection  of  these  bibelots,  and  which  usually 
leads  to  their  selection  more  for  the  incident  they  illustrate 
than  for  the  master  who  made  them. 

The  netsuk'e-makers  also  occupied  themselves  with  the 
manufacture  of  toys  for  the  amusement  apparently  of  the 
Japanese  elder  folk.  These  consisted  of  tiny  figures  (hind) 
carved  in  wood,  dressed  in  brocade,  and  with  a  rounded 
bottom  weighted  with  lead  which  necessitated  their  retain- 
ing their  equilibrium. 

There  are  few  people  who  have  examined  even  casually 
any  collection  of  Japanese  wares,  be  it  only  in  a  curio- 
dealer's  window,  but  must  have  been  struck  by  the  fre- 
quent introduction  of  masks  into  Japanese  Art.  Either  it 
is  the  original  masks  themselves,  or  copies  of  them,  or  some 
representation  wherein  personages  old  and  young  are  fig- 
ured as  wearing  them. 

The  usage  of  the  mask  in  the  theatre  is  another  of  the 
many  features  which  connect  Japan  with  Greece.  The 
custom  arose  from  the  desire  to  accentuate  either  the  tragic 
or  the  comic  expression.  In  Japan,  as  M.  Gonse  shows 
(U  Art  Japonais),  they  can  be  traced  back  as  far  as  the 
Ninth  Century,  and  he  gives  an  illustration  of  one  which 


330  JAPAN 

dates  from  the  Twelfth.  They  were  first  used  for  per- 
formances called  Kagura,  which  were  of  a  semi-religious 
character,  but  in  later  centuries  for  theatrical  and  court 
usages  also,  the  performances  or  dances  taking  the  names 
of  Bu-gaku  and  No.  They  have  fallen  into  desuetude 
since  the  Seventeenth  Century. 


LACQUER 

ERNEST  HART 

IT  has  been  said  that  art  works  in  lacquer  are  the  most 
perfect  objects  which  ever  issued  from  the  hand  of 
man.  At  the  very  least  they  are  the  most  delicate. 
Their  fabrication  has  been  for  long  centuries,  and  still  is, 
the  glory  of  the  Japanese.  It  is  a  national  industry  which 
belongs  exclusively  to  them,  and  for  which  they  owe  noth- 
ing to  any  one.  The  singularity  of  the  processes,  the  finish 
of  the  handiwork,  the  beauty  and  precious  nature  of  the 
material,  make  it  a  thing  apart  in  the  artistic  manifestations 
of  the  Far  East.  Among  artists  and  connoisseurs,  the  lacs 
of  old  Japan  enjoy  universal  celebrity  ;  they  are  the  most 
delicate  treasures  which  adorn  the  cabinets  and  enchant 
the  eye  of  the  collector.  No  one  who  is  at  all  familiar 
with  the  study  of  the  lacs  of  old  Japan,  or  with  the  finest 
productions  of  modern  artists  of  the  last  ten  years,  will  be 
inclined  to  gainsay  this  eulogistic  dictum.  Its  first  uses 
were  those  of  everyday  utility.  According  to  the  Japanese 
annals,  there  lived  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Koan,  who 
came  to  the  throne  in  392  B.  c.,  a  certain  Sammi,  Mitsumi- 
no  Sukune,  who  founded  a  school  of  lacquer  artists 
called  Nuribe^  or  Urushibe.  At  this  time,  however,  and 
for  long  after,  the  lac  products  do  not  appear  to  have  had 


332  JAPAN 

an  ornamental  character,  and  the  introduction  of  colour 
was  unknown.  According  to  Ma  T  wan-Lin,  a  Chinese 
authority,  who  wrote  in  the  Thirteenth  Century  a  valuable 
book  on  the  ethnography  of  races  foreign  to  China,  and 
who  quotes  the  reports  of  an  embassy  sent  in  the  Sixth 
Century  from  Japan  to  China,  the  Japanese  of  that  day 
were  a  people  backward  in  art;  but,  he  specially  notices, 
they  wore  jacket-petticoats  as  their  garments,  and  carried 
bows  with  bone-pointed  arrows,  and  cuirasses  of  lacquered 
leather.  Incidentally  he  mentions  that  they  had  then  no 
written  alphabet,  but  engraved  certain  marks  on  wood,  and 
used  knotted  cords  for  the  like  purpose.  It  was  at  this 
period  that  they  began  to  study  the  religious  system  of 
China,  and  to  learn  from  her  various  literary  and  artistic 
methods.  In  lacquer,  however,  the  Japanese  had  nothing 
to  learn  from  the  Chinese ;  on  the  contrary,  we  read  in  the 
annals  of  Goshiro  that  presents  of  lac,  which  were  sent 
from  Japan  to  China  by  the  Emperor  Hanozono,  by  the 
hands  of  the  priest  Atsu,  in  the  year  1308,  were  so  much 
admired  that  a  party  of  Chinese  were  sent  to  Japan,  there 
to  study  lacquer.  Meantime  great  progress  had  been  made. 
During  all  the  earlier  periods  of  Japanese  history  lacquer 
was  specially  appreciated  for  its  durability  and  its  applica- 
bility to  the  purposes  of  daily  use.  In  the  temple  of 
Todaiji  at  Nara,  lacquer  boxes  containing  the  manuscript 
prayer-books  are  preserved,  which  are  alleged  to  date  from 
the  Third  Century.  In  the  year  380  the  Sadaijin  Shihei 
published  a  book  called  Engishiki^  in  which  he  inciden- 


LACQUER  333 

tally  mentions  red  lacs  and  gold  lacs,  which  would  indicate 
an  advanced  stage  in  this  industry.  Eighty  years  later  an 
official,  named  Minamoto-no  Juin,  in  a  work  entitled 
Utsubo  Monogatari,  speaks  not  only  of  gold  lac,  but  of 
the  gold-powdered  lacs,  of  which  I  shall  have  to  say  more 
presently,  known  to  the  Japanese  as  Nashiji,  or  yellow 
pear-skin  lacs.  He  gives  no  names,  nor  does  he  indicate 
the  seat  of  production ;  but  he  states  that  these  lacs  were 
manufactured  by  renowned  artisans.  In  the  famous 
book,  Genjt  Monogatari,  by  the  celebrated  female  writer, 
Murasaki  Shikibu,  she  speaks  of  a  new  kind  of  lac  en- 
crusted with  mother-of-pearl,  the  kind  of  lac  known  as 
Raden,  showing  that  already,  in  her  time,  there  was  con- 
siderable wealth  and  variety  in  the  decoration  of  lac.  We 
read  that,  in  the  Seventh  Century,  the  Emperor  Kotoku,  who 
came  to  the  throne  in  the  year  645,  took  a  keen  interest  in 
the  art  of  lacquer,  and  established  a  special  department  for 
its  development,  under  which  were  placed  the  chief  artists 
of  repute  at  that  time ;  the  production  of  inferior  makes  of 
lac  being  at  the  same  time  prohibited  by  official  order.  In- 
cidentally it  is  mentioned,  and  may  be  noted  as  an  example 
of  the  then  use  of  lacquer,  that  it  was  ordered  at  this  time 
that  coffins  should  be  sealed  at  the  angles  with  a  threefold 
coat  of  lacquer,  to  give  them  strength  and  durability. 
Cabinets  of  red  lacquer,  that  is  lacquer  mixed  with  ver- 
milion, are  specially  mentioned  as  having  been  manufac- 
tured to  the  order  of  the  Emperor  Temmu,  who  came  to 
the  throne  in  the  year  673  A.  D. 


334  JAPAN 

The  oldest  existing  lac-work  is  said  to  be  a  sword  of  the 
Emperor  Shomu  724  A.  D.,  which  is  described  in  a  letter 
addressed  by  the  Empress  Koken  to  the  conservators  of 
the  Todaiji  temple  in  the  eighth  year  of  Tempio  (736). 
The  scabbard  of  this  sword  is  of  black  lac,  with  a  flower 
design  worked  in  gold  dust,  and  again  covered  with  layers 
of  polished  black  lac.  In  the  same  temple  was  preserved 
the  sword  of  Hiomon,  with  similar  designs  of  flowers, 
grasses  and  animals. 

In  the  thirteenth  year  of  Enriaku  (794),  the  Emperor 
Kammu  built  a  palace  in  Kioto,  and  removed  the  capital 
from  Nara  to  Kioto.  Owing  to  the  long-continued  peace 
after  this  event  the  people  began  to  give  more  attention  to 
fine  art,  and  swords  with  scabbards  highly  decorated  came 
into  general  use. 

In  the  second  year  of  Kasho  (849),  among  the  presents 
given  to  the  Emperor  Nimmio,  on  the  occasion  of  his  fortieth 
birthday,  there  was  much  valuable  black  lac  called  Hyomon- 
no-Zushi,  after  the  design  of  Hyomon.  Hyomon  is  now 
known  as  the  art  of  polishing  lac  with  a  mirror-like 
smoothness  of  surface,  after  the  encrusted  designs  of  gold 
and  silver  have  been  put  on  the  lower  layers. 

During  the  period  Tenriaku  (947-957),  the  fashion  of 
decoration  of  apartments  of  the  nobles  with  lacs  was 
introduced. 

In  the  period  of  Kwanna  (985  to  986),  a  new  style  of 
Makiye,  especially  ordered  by  the  Emperor,  was  introduced, 
and  called  Okiguchi.  This  consisted  in  binding  the 


FOUR  BOXES  OF  LACQUER. 


LACQUER  335 

edges  of  the  lacquer  articles  either  with  silver,  tin,  or 
lead. 

In  the  second  year  of  Eiyen  (988),  a  priestly  artist, 
Chonen,  was  sent  to  the  Chinese  Court  to  present  gifts  of 
lacquer  of  his  own  work  to  the  Emperor  of  China.  The 
work  was  of  a  very  high  order. 

At  the  time  of  the  Emperor,  Horikawa  (1087),  a  temple 
called  Chusonji  was  built  in  the  province  of  Mutsu,  and 
was  highly  decorated  with  gold-powdered  lac  and  encrusta- 
tions of  mother-of-pearl.  This  temple  is  even  now  extant 
and  in  good  condition.  The  province  of  Mutsu  is  now 
known  under  the  name  of  the  province  of  Rikuzen. 

In  the  era  of  the  Emperor  Konoe  (1142),  the  whole 
furniture  of  the  Palace  of  the  Emperor  was  made  in  a  new 
style  of  lac,  nashiji  nuri.  This  was  richly  encrusted  with 
gold,  mother-of-pearl,  and  various  coloured  stones,  called 
the  stones  of  five  colours,  specimens  of  which  are  pre- 
served now  in  the  collections  of  a  nobleman,  Doi. 

During  the  period  of  the  Emperor  Takakura  (1169),  the 
new  fashion  of  decorating  the  kuruma,  or  carriages  of 
nobles,  with  hyomon  bun  lac,  was  introduced.  These  car- 
riages were,  therefore,  called  Hyomon-no  Kuruma. 

On  the  fiftieth  birthday  of  the  Emperor  Horikawa 
(1129),  two  celebrated  artists  of  that  time,  Norisuye  and 
Kiohara  no  Sadayasu  were  invited  to  the  imperial  ban- 
quet. This  was  recognized  by  the  public  to  be  a  great 
honour. 

From  this  date  the  most  distinguished  of  many  lacquer 


336  JAPAN 

artists  might  be  named — Shosakan  Kino  Sukemasa,  Naka- 
hara  Suyetsune,  Kiohara  Sadamitsu,  etc. 

The  productions  of  lac  during  the  era  of  the  Emperor 
Gotoba  (1186),  are  well  preserved  in  the  temple  of  Hatchi- 
man  at  Kamakura,  where  also  are  seen  the  sword,  quiver, 
and  other  objects  belonging  to  Yoritomo.  The  decoration 
of  much  of  this  lacquer  was  either  with  birds  or  chrysanthe- 
mums, encrusted  with  mother-of-pearl. 

In  the  fourth  year  of  Showa  (1315),  the  temple  of 
Hiyoshi,  in  the  province  of  Omi,  was  built,  and  decorated 
in  lac  by  the  following  distinguished  artists — Kiyomitsu, 
Morichika,  Moriuji,  Yoshinaga,  Tomoshige,  Tomonaga, 
Kunitomo,  Morihiro. 

At  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Go  Hanazono  (1429),  many 
students  from  China  came  to  study  lacquer  work  in  Japan. 

In  the  period  Kokoku  (1339-1345),  experts  arose 
who  classified  lac  according  to  the  periods  of  its  produc- 
tion. About  this  date  also  a  change  was  introduced  in  the 
schools  of  design.  Up  to  this  date  the  designs  had  been 
chiefly  either  birds  or  flowers ;  but  now  there  were  intro- 
duced landscape  designs,  temples,  and  human  figures.  The 
most  distinguished  artist  of  this  period  was  Igarashi. 

During  the  period  Kwanei  (1624-1644),  a  new  temple 
was  built,  Zojoj  i,  in  Yedo,  now  called  Tokio,  by  the  Governor 
or  Prime  Minister  of  the  Tokugawa  Shogun  lyemitsu.  In 
this  temple  the  pagoda,  decorated  with  makiye  (height  ten 
feet,  breadth  six  or  seven  feet,  and  of  octagonal  form),  was 
considered  by  the  public  as  the  masterpiece  of  the  age. 


LACQUER  337 

Among  the  most  flourishing  artists  of  the  age  were  Moto- 
bumi,  Koma  Kiuhaku,  Kajikawa  Kiujiro,  of  Yedo;  and 
Yamamoto  Shunsho,  of  Kioto.  The  execution  of  lacquer 
work  in  the  period  Genroku  (1688-1704),  was  considered 
to  approach  the  highest  possible  perfection.  The  produc- 
tion of  this  age  was  specially  called  Jidai  makiye. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  International  Exhibition  in 
Vienna  (1873),  tne  JaPanese  Government  sent  out  a  num- 
ber of  articles  for  exhibition,  among  which  was  a  kendai 
(bookstand  used  by  Daimyo),  made  in  the  Genroku  period, 
which  was  considered  a  most  perfect  work.  After  the 
exhibition  the  French  mail  steamer,  loaded  with  all  the 
articles  exhibited  by  the  Japanese  Government,  sank 
on  its  way  to  Japan,  near  Cape  Idzu.  After  a  lapse  of 
eighteen  months  the  articles  were  brought  up  from  the  sea. 
On  examination  the  lac  proved  to  be  unchanged  in  colour, 
showing  the  most  durable  and  skilful  work  of  that  period. 

In  the  sixth  year  of  Eisho  (1051)  the  Hohodo  or 
Phoenix  Hall  of  the  temple  Byodo-in,  was  built  in  the 
town  of  Uji,  in  the  province  of  Yamashiro,  and  the  whole 
of  the  ceiling  was  encrusted  with  mother-of-pearl  lacquer. 
This  is  preserved  at  the  present  time,  and  is  highly  valued 
as  an  artistic  monument.  Another  temple,  called  Chusonji, 
in  the  village  of  Hirardzumi,  in  the  province  of  Mutsu, 
which  is  now  the  province  of  Rikuzen,  was  built  during 
the  era  of  the  Emperor  Horikawa  (1087),  which  is  also 
preserved  in  good  condition  at  the  present  time,  and  con- 
sidered to  be  a  good  specimen  of  temple  decoration  with 


338  JAPAN 

the  powdered  gold  lac  Nashiji,  and  mother-of-pearl 
encrustation. 

In  the  period  Keicho  (1596-1614)  Inro,  decorated  with 
lacquer  and  encrusted  with  Raden  came  into  vogue. 
Kioto,  Osaka,  Yedo  and  Nagasaki  produced  the  most 
artistic  work  of  this  character. 

Chinkin-bori,  or  Chinkin  lacquer  is  produced  by  incising 
the  black  lacquer  in  various  patterns,  and  then  coating  the 
incised  surface  with  gold  powder.  Its  origin  is  unknown. 
Some  say  it  was  introduced  from  China,  but  this  is  un- 
certain. 

During  the  period  Kioho  (1716-1736),  Nagasaki  was 
well  known  for  the  production  of  Chinkin,  and  a  doctor 
called  Ninomiya,  who  lived  in  Yedo  during  the  period 
Kwansei  (1789-1801),  was  especially  skilled  in  this  art. 
It  is  stated  that  he  used  the  teeth  of  mice  instead  of  the 
ordinary  graver  for  producing  very  delicate  incised  work. 
His  tools  and  materials  are  still  preserved.  Among  his 
productions  is  a  peacock  standing  on  a  rock,  which  is  con- 
sidered one  of  his  greatest  works.  The  art  is  now 
practised  in  the  island  of  Wajima,  in  the  province  of 
Noto. 

Tsuishu  was  first  introduced  by  the  lacquer  artist 
Monyiu,  who  lived  in  Kioto  during  the  reign  of  the  Em- 
peror Go-Tsuchi-Mikado  (1465).  It  was  an  imitation  of 
Chinese  work.  It  is  stated  in  the  Kogeishiro  that  he 
introduced,  in  addition  to  the  Chinese  methods,  the 
practice  of  coating  the  objects  to  be  decorated  with  layers 


LACQUER  339 

of  different  coloured  lacs,  chiefly  red,  green,  and  black,  and 
carving  them  deeply  in  oblique  lines,  so  as  to  show  the 
different  layers  of  lac  of  which  the  whole  is  made  up. 
This  is  known  as  Guri  Lac,  and  when  the  carving  is  very 
shallow  it  is  called  Hashika-bori. 

Tsuisbu  is  still  produced  in  Kioto,  Nagasaki  and  Yedo. 

Vermilion-lacquered  dinner  sets  were  considered  more 
aristocratic  and  ceremonious  than  black-lacquered  ones,  and 
were  used  for  public  banquets,  etc.  This  custom  still  pre- 
vails at  the  present  time  to  a  great  extent.  Black-lacquered 
articles  were,  however,  also  used  on  public  occasions,  but 
chiefly  when  the  guests  were  inferior  in  rank  to  the  host. 

In  1545,  the  celebrated  general  called  Takeda  Shingen, 
during  his  campaign  against  the  celebrated  General  Uyesugi 
Kenshin,  caused  those  soldiers  who  proved  brave  in  the 
field  to  dine  off  red-lacquered  sets,  and  those  who  were 
not  brave  off  black-lacquered  ones,  in  order  to  encourage 
the  courageous. 

When,  in  1175,  the  ex-Emperor  Goshirakawa  held  a 
banquet  on  the  occasion  of  his  Jubilee,  the  celebrated 
lacquer  artists  of  Kioto,  among  whom  were  Sadayasu  and 
Norisuye,  had  the  distinction  of  being  invited  to  the 
banquet.  This  was  considered  at  that  time  a  great  honour 
for  an  artist,  and  it  can  therefore  be  imagined  that  the  art 
was  recognized  as  a  very  important  and  refined  one,  and 
that  it  attracted  great  attention  at  that  time. 

When  Yoritomo  established  his  Government  at  Kama- 
kura,  about  700  years  ago,  that  town  became  very  populous 


340  JAPAN 

and  important,  being  second  only  to  Kioto ;  and  con- 
sequently a  great  many  lacquer  artists  went  to  settle  there. 
Among  the  artists  there  was  one  who  invented  the  process 
of  carving  the  ground  of  articles,  and  covering  it  with 
coloured  lac ;  this  was  termed  Kamakura-bori,  or  Kama- 
kura  carving.  An  artist  of  Nagoya,  called  Tosuke,  in- 
vented a  process  of  covering  china  with  gold-lacquered 
pictures,  and  this  kind  of  work  was  called  after  his  name. 
When  in  1858  the  Shogun.  Tokugawa  lyesada,  signed  a 
treaty  with  several  countries  in  Europe,  and  established 
commerce  with  European  nations,  European  ideas  and 
methods  were  adopted  in  making  lac,  and  such  things  as 
tables  and  chairs  were  made  for  the  first  time. 

Since  the  Meiji  era,  that  is  since  the  Restoration,  the 
Government  has  greatly  encouraged  the  art. 

At  the  present  time  Yamato,  Ise,  Mikawa,  Kai,  Hitachi, 
Hida,  Shinano,  Kotsuke,  Shimotsuke,  Iwashiro,  Rikuzen, 
Uzen,  Tango,  Tajima,  Inaba,  Ku  are  the  provinces  where 
the  lacquer  trees  are  specially  cultivated ;  and  Tokio, 
Kioto,  Osaka,  Noto,  Shimotsuke,  Rikuzen,  Rikuchu, 
Iwaki,  Iwashiro,  Mutsu,  Ugo,  Hitachi,  Suruga,  Owari, 
Omi,  Ise,  Yamato,  Idzumi,  Wakasa,  Tajima,  Etchu,  Kaga, 
Sanuki,  Hizen,  Ku  are  the  cities  and  provinces  where  the 
lacquer  industry  is  most  celebrated. 

Generally,  lacquered  articles  are  called  after  the  process 
followed,  or  after  the  name  of  the  place  where  they  are 
made,  or  after  the  name  of  the  artist. 


LITERATURE 

W.  G.  4STON 

THE  same  spirit  which  pervades  other  classical  lit- 
eratures  animates  that  of  Japan,  viz.,  a  refined 
common  sense  and  good  taste,  which  rejects  all 
extravagance,  and  aims  rather  at  the  fit  expression  of  what 
is  felt  and  known  by  all,  than  at  startling,  horrifying,  or  in- 
structing the  reader. 

A  literature  of  this  kind  does  not  spring  up  all  at  once 
out  of  nothing.  Its  existence  implies  that  some  necessary 
conditions  have  been  previously  fulfilled.  A  certain  degree 
of  political  stability  is  a  sine  qua  non,  as  well  as  some  prog- 
ress in  the  arts  and  in  material  civilization,  together  with 
a  sufficient  previous  literary  culture,  based  on  the  study 
of  native  or  foreign  models.  Not  until  these  conditions 
have  been  for  some  time  realized,  is  it  possible  to  have  a 
classical  literature.  Let  me  enumerate  briefly  the  principal 
events  which  prepared  the  way  in  Japan,  for  this  develop- 
ment. 

The  next  important  was  the  introduction,  early  in  the 
Fifth  Century,  of  a  knowledge  of  the  Chinese  character 
and  of  the  study  of  Chinese  literature.  At  first  the  Jap- 
anese did  not  attempt  to  write  their  own  language.  Their 


342  JAPAN 

earliest  literary  experiments  were  in  Chinese.  It  was  not 
until  the  Eighth  Century  that  they  began  to  compose  books 
in  the  native  tongue.  Buddhism  was  introduced  soon  after 
writing,  but  it  did  not  become  generally  practised  until  the 
Seventh  Century.  Its  influence  is  traceable  in  the  humane 
and  gentle  character  of  the  classical  literature. 

The  principal  political  event  which  paved  the  way  for  a 
more  general  literary  culture  was  the  establishment  of  the 
Mikado's  capital  at  Nara  towards  the  end  of  the  Seventh 
Century.  Previous  to  this  time,  every  Mikado  had  built  a 
new  palace  and  founded  himself  a  capital  in  a  fresh  locality 
— a  custom  which  was  plainly  a  serious  obstacle  to  progress 
of  any  kind.  During  the  Eighth  Century,  however,  the 
authority  of  the  sovereign  was  extended  so  as  to  embrace  a 
far  larger  portion  of  the  nation,  wealth  increased,  and  great 
progress  in  the  useful  and  fine  arts  followed.  Architecture 
in  particular,  made  rapid  advances. 

The  impulse  which  urged  the  Japanese  nation  at  this 
period  towards  a  higher  civilization  came  from  abroad. 
The  political  ideas  embodied  in  the  Imperial  theory,  which 
has  lasted  to  this  day,  came  from  China.  The  same  is 
true  of  their  literature.  That  it  owed  much  to  China  is 
indisputable.  Their  obligations  to  the  older  classical  Chi- 
nese literature  are  well  known,  and  it  seems  probable  that 
more  is  due  to  the  study  of  the  writings  of  the  Tang  Dy- 
nasty than  has  yet  been  acknowledged.  One  author  of 
this  period,  a  poet  named  Hakuraku  (Peh  Ku-yeh  772- 
846),  we  know  to  have  been  a  favourite  with  the  Japanese 


LITERATURE  343 

in  the  Tenth  Century.  But  there  is  comparatively  little 
outward  appearance  of  Chinese  influences.  The  Chinese 
words  in  the  language  at  this  time  were  few,  and  allusions 
to  Chinese  history  and  literature  rare,  in  comparison  with 
later  times.  Whatever  was  borrowed  was  passed  through 
the  alembic  of  the  native  genius,  and  came  out  transformed 
into  something  genuinely  Japanese. 

The  classical  age  of  Japanese  literature  extends,  roughly 
speaking,  over  a  period  of  five  hundred  years,  comprising 
the  Eighth,  Ninth,  Tenth,  Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Centuries 
of  our  era.  The  first  section  of  it  (the  Nara  Period)  begins 
with  the  establishment  of  the  Mikado's  Court  on  a  more 
permanent  basis  at  Nara,  a  beautiful  spot  in  the  province 
of  Yamato. 

The  Nara  Period  corresponds  pretty  closely  to  our 
Eighth  Century.  The  prose  of  this  earlier  section  of  the 
classical  period  may  be  passed  over  without  notice.  It  is 
not  classical  in  character,  nor  considerable  in  point  of 
quantity.  It  is  for  its  poetry,  which  has  been  collected  in 
the  well-known  anthology — the  Manyoshiu — that  the  Nara 
age  is  famous.  The  Manyoshiu  is  an  extensive  work.  It 
consists  of  several  thousand  pieces,  most  of  which  are  in 
the  metre  known  as  Tanka,  or  short  poems,  the  remain- 
der being  chiefly  what  are  called  Naga-uta,  or  long 
poems.  There  are  no  epics,  no  drama,  hardly  any  ballad 
or  narrative  poems,  no  political  satires,  and  scarce  anything 
didactic  or  religious.  Nearly  all  are  lyrical,  such  as 
elegies,  courtly  effusions,  sententious  or  sentimental  stanzas, 


344  JAPAN 

praise  of  wine  or  beauty.  Little  poems  on  the  moon, 
flowers,  the  song  of  birds,  the  varying  aspects  of  nature  are 
very  numerous,  and  testify  to  the  gentle  disposition  and  re- 
fined culture  of  the  authors. 

One  important  characteristic  of  this  epoch  must  not  be 
forgotten.  The  women  at  this  time  shared  in  the  mental 
culture  of  the  stronger  sex,  and  a  large  and  important  part 
of  the  classical  literature  of  Japan  is  from  their  pens. 
Several  poetesses  appear  in  the  pages  of  the  Manyoshiu, 
while  in  the  prose  literature  of  the  Heian  Period — the  most 
perfect  of  its  kind  that  Japan  has  produced — the  two  chief 
names  are  those  of  women.  This  is  a  very  remarkable 
fact,  more  especially  when  we  compare  with  it  the  other 
great  period  of  Japanese  literature,  viz.,  that  of  the  Toku- 
gawa  Shogunate,  which  was  written  exclusively  by  men. 
The  reason  of  this  is  to  be  sought  in  the  different  social 
position  of  women  in  the  classical  times  of  Japanese  liter- 
ature from  what  it  afterwards  became  under  Chinese  in- 
fluences. 

It  may  be  noted  as  a  favourable  symptom  of  the  newer 
development  of  Japanese  literature  since  the  Restoration 
of  1868,  that  the  names  of  women  are  again  beginning  to 
appear  as  authors. 

The  second  section  of  the  classical  age  of  Japanese 
literature  is  that  known  in  history  as  the  Heian  Period, 
viz.,  that  when  Heianjo  (or  Kioto)  was  the  real  centre  of 
government  of  the  country.  It  may  be  taken  as  lasting 
from  A.  D.  784,  when  Kioto  was  made  the  capital,  until 


PANEL  FROM  A  SCREEN,  LACQUER,  WITH  FIGURE  OF  A  COURT  LADY 

AND  POETESS  OF  THE  ELEVENTH  CENTURY,  INCRUSTED 

IN   IVORY;    DESIGN    BY   YOSAI. 


LITERATURE  345 

1185,  when  Yoritomo  established  the  rule  of  the  military 
caste  at  Kamakura. 

About  the  beginning  of  this  period  the  phonetic  script 
known  as  the  Kana  came  into  use.  It  greatly  simplified 
the  art  of  writing  the  Japanese  language.  The  poetry  of 
this  time  is  contained  in  the  Anthology  known  as  the 
Kokinshiu,  which  consists  almost  exclusively  of  short 
poems  of  thirty-one  syllables  to  the  neglect  of  Naga- 
uta. 

The  next  work  of  the  Heian  Period  to  be  noticed  is  the 
Taketori  Monogatari.  It  is  the  first  specimen  of  a  kind  of 
literature  which  has  ever  since  been  a  great  favourite  in 
Japan,  viz.,  the  fairy  tale,  or,  to  be  more  accurate,  the 
Mabrcben.  It  is  the  story  of  a  moon-maiden  banished  to 
earth  for  an  offence  against  the  lunar  laws,  and  who  gives 
much  trouble  to  her  earthly  suitors,  the  Mikado  himself  in- 
cluded, before  she  returns  to  her  celestial  home  in  a  flying 
chariot  which  was  sent  for  her.  It  contains  both  senti- 
ment and  humour,  but  the  language  has  hardly  yet  attained 
to  classical  perfection. 

The  he  Monogatari  is  a  work  of  a  different  stamp.  As 
a  specimen  of  early  Japanese  prose  it  is  unrivalled,  being 
systematic  in  its  arrangement,  and  elegant,  concise  and 
perspicuous  in  style.  It  has,  in  short,  all  the  qualities 
which  we  are  accustomed  to  comprehend  under  the  term 
"  classical."  The  he  Monogatari  is  a  sort  of  novel.  It 
relates  the  love  adventures  of  a  gay  young  courtier  named 
Narihira,  and  his  journey  to  the  east  of  Japan,  then  a  region 


346  JAPAN 

full  of  terrors  to  the  traveller  from  the  capital.  The  Tanka 
contained  in  it  are  of  more  than  average  merit. 

The  Heian  Period  produced  a  large  number  of  other 
Monogatari  of  considerable  merit  and  interest.  Monogatari, 
it  should  be  explained,  means  "narrative."  It  is  generally 
applied  to  fictitious  narrative,  but  towards  the  end  of  this 
period  one  or  two  historical  works  appeared  under  this 
description. 

The  great  glories,  however,  of  the  Heian  Period  of  Japa- 
nese literature  are  the  Genji  Monogatari  and  the  MaAura 
Zoshi,  both  written  by  women  and  nearly  at  the  same  time, 
;.  <?.,  about  A.  D.  1000. 

The  author  of  the  Genji  was  a  lady  of  noble  birth, 
known  to  us  as  Murasaki  no  Shikibu,  who  held  an  official 
position  at  the  Court  of  the  Mikado.  As  a  picture  of  a 
long  past  state  of  society,  there  is  nothing  in  the  contem- 
porary European  literature  which  can  for  a  moment  be 
compared  with  it.  The  language  of  the  Genji  is  the  ac- 
knowledged standard  of  the  classical  period. 

The  second  masterpiece  of  the  Heian  Period,  the  Makura 
Zoshi,  is  a  work  of  a  different  description.  The  author, 
Sei  Shonagon,  was  a  lady-in-waiting  to  the  Empress,  and 
came  of  a  distinguished  family,  being  directly  descended 
from  one  of  the  Mikados.  It  is  the  first  specimen  of  a 
kind  of  literature  of  which  Japan  has  in  recent  times  seen 
many  examples,  and  which  is  represented  in  English  by 
such  works  as  the  Autocrat  of  the  Breakfast  Table,  Thack- 
eray's Roundabout  Papers,  etc.  In  the  Makura  Zosbi  the 


LITERATURE  347 

author  has  recorded  her  impressions  and  observations  during 
her  life  at  Court.  Humour  is  her  forte  as  sentiment  is  that 
of  Murasaki  no  Shikibu. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  Heian  Period,  we  meet  with  the 
first  attempts  (if  we  except  the  archaic  Kojiki),  at  writing 
history  in  the  Japanese  language.  The  most  important  of 
these  is  the  Yeigwa  Monogatari,  in  forty  volumes,  which 
covers  the  period  from  889  to  1093,  but  IS  intended  chiefly 
as  a  glorification  of  the  rule  of  the  Kwambaku  or  Regent 
Michinaga.  The  Oko-Kagami,  or  Great  Mirror,  is  another 
work  of  this  kind.  Unfortunately,  however,  there  is  ob- 
servable a  tendency  for  the-  historical  works  written  in 
Japanese  to  become  more  romantic  and  poetical  than  in- 
structive. They  subsequently  degenerated  into  mere  para- 
phrases of  history,  and  in  modern  times  resulted  in  the 
historical  novel.  For  research,  the  only  trustworthy  rec- 
ords are  the  official  histories  in  the  Chinese  language. 

There  are  two  works  which,  although  not  written  in  the 
classical  period,  are  characterized  by  the  same  qualities  of 
style  and  language,  and  therefore  deserve  a  short  notice 
here. 

One  of  these  is  the  Hojoki,  written  about  A.  D.  1200,  by 
a  Buddhist  hermit  named  Chomei.  In  it  he  describes  his 
hut  in  a  retired  mountain  spot  a  few  miles  from  Kioto, 
with  his  manner  of  life  and  occupations.  A  much  more 
important  work  is  Kenko  Boshi's  (died  1350)  Tsure- 
dzure-gusa.  The  Tsure-dzure-gusa  is  plainly  inspired  by 
Sei  Shonagon's  Makura  Zoshi.  It  is  a  series  of  essays 


348  JAPAN 

and  anecdotes   something  in  the  style  of  Selden's   Table 
Talk. 

The  classical  literature  of  Japan  has  not  yet  received  the 
attention  which  its  importance  deserves.  With  a  very  few 
exceptions,  the  translations  of  the  works  which  compose  it 
fail  to  do  complete  justice  to  their  literary  quality,  or  even 
to  represent  the  meaning  with  sufficient  accuracy. 


THEATRE 

MORTIMER  MEMPES 

I  ALWAYS  agree  with  that  man  who  said,  "  Let  me 
make  the  nation's  songs  and  I  care  not  who  frames 
her  laws,"  or  words  to  that  effect,  for,  in  my  opinion, 
nothing  so  well  indicates  national  character  or  so  keenly 
accentuates  the  difference  between  individuals  and  nations 
as  the  way  they  spend  their  leisure  hours ;  and  the  theatres 
of  Japan  are  thoroughly  typical  of  the  people's  character. 
It  would  be  utterly  impossible  for  the  Japanese  to  keep  art 
out  of  their  lives.  It  creeps  into  everything,  and  is  as  the 
very  air  they  breathe.  Art  with  them  is  not  only  a  con- 
scious effort  to  achieve  the  beautiful,  but  also  an  instinctive 
expression  of  inherited  taste.  It  beautifies  their  homes 
and  pervades  their  gardens ;  and  perhaps  one  never  realizes 
this  all-dominating  power  more  fully  than  when  in  a 
Japanese  theatre,  which  is,  invariably,  a  veritable  temple  of 
art.  But  here  with  us  in  the  West  it  is  different.  We 
have  no  art,  and  our  methods  merely  lead  us  to  deception, 
while  we  do  not  begin  to  understand  those  few  great  truths 
which  form  the  basis  of  Oriental  philosophy,  and  without 
which  perfection  in  the  dramatic  art  is  impossible. 

In  Japan  the  scenic  work  of  a  play  is  handled  by  one 
349 


350  JAPAN 

man  alone,  and  that  man  is  the  dramatic  author,  who  is 
almost  invariably  a  great  artist.  To  him  the  stage  is  a 
huge  canvas  upon  which  he  is  to  paint  his  picture,  and  of 
which  each  actor  forms  a  component  part.  This  picture  of 
his  has  to  be  thought  out  in  every  detail ;  he  has  to  think  of 
his  figures  in  relation  to  his  background,  just  as  a  Japanese 
artist  when  building  a  house  or  a  temple  takes  into  con- 
sideration the  surrounding  scenery,  and  even  the  trees  and 
the  hills,  in  order  to  form  a  complete  picture,  perfect  in 
balance  and  in  form.  When  a  dramatic  author  places  his 
drama  upon  the  stage,  he  arranges  the  colour  and  setting 
of  it  in  obedience  to  his  ideas  of  fitness,  which  are  partly 
intuitive  and  partly  traditional.  It  is  probably  necessary 
that  his  background  should  be  a  monotone,  or  arranged  in 
broad  masses  of  colour,  in  order  to  balance  the  brilliancy 
of  the  action,  and  against  which  the  moving  figures  are 
sharply  defined.  And  it  is  only  in  Japan  that  you  see  such 
brilliant  luminous  effects  on  the  stage,  for  the  Japs  alone 
seem  to  have  the  courage  to  handle  very  vivid  colours  in  a 
masterly  way — glorious  sweeps  of  gold  and  of  blue — vivid, 
positive  colour.  No  low-toned  plush  curtains  and  what 
we  call  rich,  sombre  colour,  with  overdressed,  shifted-calved 
flunkeys,  stepping  silently  about  on  velvet  carpets,  shod  in 
list  slippers,  and  looking  for  all  the  world  like  a  lot  of 
burglars,  only  needing  a  couple  of  dark  lanterns  to  com- 
plete their  stealthy  appearance. 

Then,  there  are  no  Morris-papered  anterooms  and  cor- 
ridors  in  Japan,  as  we  have  here — sad    bottlegreens  and 


THEATRE  351 

browns  leading  to  a  stage  that  is  still  sadder  in  colour — 
only  a  sadness  lit  up  by  a  fierce  glare  of  electric  light. 

The  true  artistic  spirit  is  wanting  in  the  West.  We  are 
too  timid  to  deal  in  masses  for  effect,  and  we  have  such  a 
craving  for  realism  that  we  become  simply  technical  imita- 
tors like  the  counterfeiters  of  banknotes.  Our  great  and 
all-pervading  idea  is  to  cram  as  much  of  what  we  call 
realism  and  detail  into  a  scene  as  possible ;  the  richer  the 
company,  and  the  more  money  they  have  to  handle,  the 
more  hopeless  the  work  becomes,  for  the  degradation  of  it 
is  still  more  fully  emphasized. 

The  Japanese  are  not  led  away  by  this  struggle  to  be 
realistic,  and  this  is  one  of  the  chief  reasons  why  the  stage 
of  Japan  is  so  far  ahead  of  our  stage.  If  a  horse  is  intro- 
duced into  a  scene  he  will  be  by  no  means  a  real  horse,  but 
a  very  wooden  one,  with  wooden  joints,  just  like  a  nursery 
rocking-horse ;  yet  this  decorative  animal  will  be  certain  to 
take  its  proper  place  in  the  composition  of  the  picture. 
But  when  realism  has  its  artistic  value,  the  Japs  will  use  it 
to  the  full.  If  the  scene  is  to  be  the  interior  of  a  house,  it 
will  be  an  interior,  complete  in  every  detail  down  to  the 
exquisite  bowl  of  flowers  which  almost  invariably  forms  the 
chief  decoration  of  a  Japanese  room.  But  suppose  they 
want  a  garden  :  they  do  not  proceed,  as  we  do,  to  take  one 
special  garden  and  copy  it  literally ;  that  garden  has  to  be 
created  and  thought  out  to  form  a  perfect  whole  ;  even  the 
lines  of  the  tiny  trees  and  the  shape  of  the  hills  in  the  dis- 
tance have  to  be  considered  in  relation  to  the  figures  of  the 


352  JAPAN 

actors  who  are  to  tell  their  story  there.  This  is  true  art. 
Then,  when  you  go  to  the  theatre  in  Japan,  you  are  made 
to  feel  that  you  are  actually  living  in  the  atmosphere  of  the 
play ;  the  body  of  the  theatre  and  the  stage  are  linked  to- 
gether, and  the  spectator  feels  that  he  is  contained  in  the 
picture  itself,  that  he  is  looking  on  at  a  scene  which  is  tak- 
ing place  in  real  life  just  before  his  very  eyes.  And  it  is 
the  great  aim  of  every  ambitious  dramatic  author  to  make 
you  feel  this.  To  gain  this  end,  if  the  scene  is  situated  by 
the  seashore,  he  will  cause  the  sea,  which  is  represented  by 
that  decorative  design  called  the  wave  pattern,  to  be  swept 
right  round  the  theatre,  embracing  both  audience  and  stage 
and  dragging  you  into  the  very  heart  of  his  picture. 

For  this  same  reason,  a  Japanese  theatre  is  always  built 
with  two  broad  passages,  called  Hanamichi  (or  flower- 
paths),  leading  through  the  audience  to  the  stage,  up  which 
you  can  watch  a  Daimio  and  his  gorgeous  retinue  sweep  on 
his  royal  way  to  visit  perhaps  another  Daimio  whose  house 
is  represented  on  the  stage.  This  is  very  dramatic,  and 
greatly  forwards  the  author's  scheme  of  bringing  you  in 
touch  with  the  stage.  But  we  in  our  Western  theatres 
need  not  trouble  ourselves  with  all  this,  for  we  frame  our 
scenes  in  a  vulgar  gilt  frame ;  we  hem  them  in  and  cut 
them  off  from  the  rest  of  the  house.  When  we  go  to  a 
theatre  here,  we  go  to  view  a  picture  hung  up  on  a  wall, 
and  generally  a  very  foolish  inartistic  picture  it  is  too. 
And  even  taking  our  stage  from  the  point  of  view  of  a 
picture,  it  is  wrong,  for  in  a  work  of  art  the  frame  should 


THEATRE  353 

never  have  an  independent  value  as  an  achievement,  but  be 
subordinate  to,  and  part  of,  the  whole.  All  idea  of  fram- 
ing the  stage  must  be  done  away  with ;  else  we  are  in  dan- 
ger of  going  to  the  other  extreme,  as  some  artists  have 
done,  and  cause  our  picture  to  overlap  and  spread  itself 
upon  the  frame. 

Now,  built  as  the  Japanese  theatres  are,  with  their 
flower-paths  leading  from  the  stage,  there  is  no  fear  of  such 
a  disaster ;  yet  Westerners  who  have  never  been  to  Japan, 
on  hearing  of  the  construction  of  a  Japanese  theatre,  are 
rather  inclined  to  conjure  up  to  their  fancies  visions  of  the 
low  comedian  who  springs  through  trap-doors,  and  of  the 
clown  who  leaves  the  ring  of  the  circus  to  seat  himself  be- 
tween two  maiden  ladies  in  the  audience ;  but  if  these  peo- 
ple were  to  go  to  Japan  and  see  a  really  fine  production  at 
a  properly  conducted  theatre,  such  an  idea  would  never 
occur  to  them  at  all. 

Here  and  there,  however,  the  unthinking  globe-trotter, 
with  more  or  less  the  vulgar  mind,  will  be  inclined  to  laugh 
as  he  sees  a  richly-clothed  actor  sweep  majestically 
through  the  audience  to  the  stage ;  he  will  point  out  the 
prompter  who  never  attempts  to  conceal  himself,  and  the 
little  black-robed  supers  who  career  about  the  stage  arranging 
dresses,  slipping  stools  under  actors,  and  bearing  away  any 
little  article  that  they  don't  happen  to  want.  "  How  funny 
and  elementary  it  all  is  !  "  they  will  remark ;  but  there  is 
nothing  elementary  about  it  at  all ;  these  little  supers  who 
appear  to  them  so  amusing  are  perfect  little  artists,  and  are 


354  JAPAN 

absolutely  necessary  to  ensure  the  success  of  a  scene. 
Suppose  Danjuro,  the  greatest  actor  in  Japan,  appears  upon 
the  stage  dressed  in  a  most  gorgeous  costume,  and  takes  up 
a  position  before  a  screen  which  he  will  probably  have  to 
retain  for  half  an  hour :  these  little  people  must  be  there 
to  see  that  the  sweep  of  his  dress  is  correct  in  relation  to 
the  lines  of  the  screen.  The  placing  of  this  drapery  is 
elaborately  rehearsed  by  the  supers,  and  when  they  step 
back  from  their  work  even  the  globe-trotter  is  bound  to 
admit  that  the  picture  created  by  Danjuro  and  the  screen  is 
a  perfectly  beautiful  one,  and  a  picture  which  could  not 
have  been  brought  about  by  merely  walking  up  and  stop- 
ping short,  or  by  the  backward  kick  that  a  leading  lady 
gives  to  her  skirt.  These  little  supers  may  go,  come,  and 
drift  about  on  the  stage ;  they  may  slip  props  under  the 
actors  and  illuminate  their  faces  with  torches;  yet  the  re- 
fined Japanese  gentleman  (and  he  is  always  an  artist)  is 
utterly  unconscious  of  their  presence.  They  are  dressed 
in  black :  therefore  it  would  be  considered  as  the  height  of 
vulgarity  in  him  to  see  them.  Indeed,  the  audience  are  in 
honour  bound  not  to  notice  these  people,  and  it  would  be 
deemed  in  their  eyes  just  as  vulgar  for  you  to  point  out  a 
super  in  the  act  of  arranging  a  bit  of  drapery,  as  to  enter 
a  temple  and  smell  the  incense  there.  No  Japanese  ever 
smells  incense :  he  is  merely  conscious  of  it.  Incense  is 
full  of  divine  and  beautiful  suggestion ;  but  the  moment 
you  begin  to  vulgarize  it  by  talking,  or  even  thinking  of  its 
smell,  all  beauty  and  significance  are  destroyed. 


THEATRE  355 

Everything  connected  with  the  stage  in  Japan  is  reduced 
to  a  fine  art :  the  actor's  walk — the  dignity  of  it ! — you 
would  never  see  a  man  walk  in  the  street  as  he  would  on 
the  stage.  And  then  the  tone  of  voice,  bearing,  and  atti- 
tude— everything  about  the  man  is  changed. 


THE  NEW  JAPAN 

ARTHUR  DIOSr 

ON  the  seventeenth  of  September,  1894,  from  noon 
to  sunset,  the  thunder  of  great  guns  rolled  over 
the  waters  of  Korea  Bay,  between  the  Island  of 
Hai-yang  and  the  mouth  of  the  Yalu  River,  proclaiming  to 
an  amazed  world  the  birth  of  the  New  Far  East. 

In  that  fierce  sea-fight,  by  its  consequences  the  most 
important  naval  action  since  Trafalgar,  Japan  had  com- 
pletely broken  China's  maritime  power.  The  hotly-con- 
tested battle  between  the  fleets  of  the  two  great  yellow 
peoples,  using,  for  the  first  time  in  warfare,  the  latest 
death-dealing  devices  of  the  white  men,  had  resulted  in  a 
victory  for  Japan  so  decisive  that  from  that  moment  no 
doubt  as  to  the  ultimate  issue  of  the  struggle  could  arise  in 
the  minds  of  those  who  understood  the  modern  science  of 
war. 

The  importance  of  the  Yalu  sea-fight  was  quickly  appre- 
ciated throughout  the  world.  It  revealed  suddenly,  as  if 
by  magic,  the  existence  of  an  entirely  new,  hitherto  barely 
suspected,  condition  of  affairs  in  Eastern  Asia.  That  huge 
Chinese  Empire,  which  the  Western  world,  ever  ready  to 
mistake  bigness  for  greatness,  had  credited  with  boundless 
stores  of  latent  strength,  was  shown  to  be  an  inert  mass  of 

356 


THE  NEW  JAPAN  357 

corruption,  feebly  drifting  towards  disintegration,  whilst 
Japan  stood  revealed  in  the  full  glare  of  a  new  light  as  a 
nation  no  longer  in  leading-strings,  but  capable  of  being, 
and  fully  determined  to  be,  a  dominant  factor  in  Eastern 
Asia — a  power  to  be  reckoned  with,  in  future,  in  any  polit- 
ical combination  affecting  the  countries  which  face  the 
rising  sun.  Preconceived  notions,  deeply  implanted  in  the 
minds  of  Western  statesmen,  were  uprooted,  popular  mis- 
conceptions received  a  rude  shock;  and,  as  the  battle- 
smoke  drifted  away  over  the  waves  of  the  China  Sea,  the 
astonished  eyes  of  Occidentals  beheld  the  Old  Far  East 
sinking  in  the  flood,  along  with  the  boasted  naval  power 
of  China,  and,  in  its  stead,  rising  steadily  from  "  the  Edge 
of  Asia,"  the  New  Far  East  came  into  view. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  the  sun  of  New  Japan  had 
been  steadily  rising  over  the  horizon,  whilst  China  con- 
tinued to  sink  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  slough  of  corrup- 
tion, losing  one  tributary  state  after  another  through  the 
incompetence  and  venality  of  her  officials,  the  inefficiency 
of  her  diplomatists,  and  the  contemptible  weakness  of  her 
forces.  To  most  Occidentals  the  contrast  presented  by 
the  two  nations  unfortunately  failed  to  convey  its  lesson. 
In  their  eyes,  and  especially  in  those  of  British  people, 
China  still  loomed  mysterious,  huge,  possessed  of  vast 
latent  power  and  of  untold  resources.  It  seemed  impos- 
sible that  such  a  large  proportion  of  the  human  race  should 
remain  absolutely  deaf  to  the  voice  of  progress,  perfectly 
blind  to  the  advantages  of  modern  civilization.  The 


358  JAPAN 

slightest  sign  of  movement  in  a  forward  direction,  although 
it  was  chiefly  aimed  at  the  possession  of  modern  arma- 
ments, was  hailed  by  the  West  as  an  indication  that  China 
was  really  on  the  eve  of  her  awakening.  The  wish  was 
father  to  the  thought,  and  much  sympathy  was  wasted  on 
what  were  erroneously  held  to  be  symptoms  of  China's 
resurrection. 

As  for  Japan,  it  was  still,  in  the  opinion  of  the  great 
majority  of  Europeans  and  of  Americans,  what  it  had 
always  been, — a  pleasant  land  of  beautiful  scenery,  bright 
with  lovely  flowers ;  a  country  inhabited  by  an  interesting 
race  with  charming  gentle  manners,  imbued  with  delicate 
artistic  taste,  and  showing,  in  recent  times,  a  marvellous 
aptitude  for  assimilating  Western  civilization,  often  in  a 
manner  producing  quaint,  even  grotesque  results.  In  short, 
Japan  was  to  the  Western  world,  that  strange  medley  of 
the  beautiful  and  the  comical  described  in  the  narratives  of 
scores  of  travellers  in  the  Land  of  the  Rising  Sun. 

Until  the  battle  of  Ping-yang  (in  Korean  "  Phyong- 
yang  "),  the  first  in  which  the  army  of  New  Japan  proved 
its  complete  efficiency,  and  the  naval  victory  off"  the  mouth 
of  the  Yalu,  testified  to  her  attainment  of  her  majority  as 
a  modern  nation,  the  Western  peoples  had  never  taken 
Japan  seriously.  The  wonderful  intelligence  and  spirit  of 
adaptability  of  the  Japanese  had  long  been  recognized,  they 
had  been  patted  on  the  head  and  smilingly  praised  for  their 
successful  imitation,  as  it  was  thought  to  be — it  was  really 
adaptation — of  certain  phases  of  European  civilization,  and 


THE  NEW  JAPAN  359 

in  some  quarters,  and  those  laying  claim  to  be  the  best 
informed,  they  had  been  solemnly  warned  of  their  inherent 
weakness,  of  the  futility  of  any  attempt  on  their  part  to 
enter  into  serious  rivalry  with  European  Powers.  The 
West,  having  delivered  its  praise  and  its  homily,  turned  its 
attention  to  the  lacquer  and  the  carvings,  the  bronzes  and 
the  coloured  prints  of  Old  Japan,  and,  with  a  pitying  smile, 
left  the  New  to  struggle  through  its  political  teething,  its 
attempt  at  Parliamentary  Government. 

A  few  months  changed  all  this.  The  Risen  Sun  of 
Japan,  shining  on  her  victorious  armies  and  fleet  cast  its 
rays  into  every  diplomatic  Cbancellerie  in  Europe,  and  pro- 
duced in  all  of  them,  except  amongst  the  ice-cool  heads  in 
the  Ministry  of  Foreign  Affairs  on  the  banks  of  the  Neva, 
a  remarkable  effect.  A  sort  of  "  Japan  sunstroke  "  affected 
the  entire  personnel,  not  excepting  even  those  who  steered 
the  various  ships  of  state.  Such  a  fluttering  of  diplomatic 
dovecotes,  such  a  general  "  setting  to  partners,"  such  an 
almost  universal  re-casting  of  parts  in  the  great  historical 
drama,  had,  in  all  probability,  not  occurred  since  those 
sultry  days,  twenty-five  years  before,  when  the  Napoleonic 
Empire  succumbed  to  the  sledge-hammer  blows  of  the 
Germans. 

The  truth  is  that  the  struggle  for  which  both  the  Em- 
pires had  been  preparing,  each  in  its  own  characteristic 
way,  for  years,  was  inevitable.  China  had,  long  ago,  de- 
termined to  seek  the  first  favourable  opportunity  of  reduc- 
ing Japan,  the  "  Upstart  Nation  of  Dwarfs,"  as  she  called 


360  JAPAN 

her  to  that  condition  of  vassalage  Chinese  tradition  had  as- 
signed as  Japan's  proper  position.  The  Chinese  official 
classes,  blind  votaries  of  stagnation,  gloated  over  the  disas- 
trous fate  in  store  for  "  the  Dwarfs  "  who  had  in  their 
opinion,  turned  traitors  to  the  Yellow  Race,  those  "  Mon- 
keys "  who  struttled  about  in  Western  dress,  and  who  had 
the  audacity  to  prosper  in  their  imitation  of  the  ways  of  the 
hated  "Western  Foreign  Devils."  As  far  back  as  1882, 
the  famous  Li  Hung-Chang  had  memorialized  the  Throne, 
advising  the  postponement  of  the  invasion  of  Japan,  the 
plan  for  which  the  Emperor  had  "graciously  ordered  him 
to  prepare  "  until  the  Chinese  navy  could  be  brought  to  a 
high  condition  of  strength  and  efficiency,  "  meanwhile," 
wrote  the  wily  old  Viceroy,  "  carefully  concealing  our  ob- 
ject "  until  a  convenient  opportunity  of  "  bringing  about  a 
rupture  with  Japan."  Whilst  biding  her  time,  China  car- 
ried on,  for  years,  without  intermission,  a  war  of  needle- 
pricks  against  Japan,  slighting,  baffling,  snubbing  the  Power 
which  had  set  the  whole  Yellow  Race  the  shockingly  sub- 
versive example  of  reform  and  progress,  and  which  had  lit 
a  torch  the  rays  of  which  might  some  day  shine  across  the 
sea  and  dazzle  the  hordes  of  sluggish  Celestials. 

The  knowledge  of  China's  malevolent  intentions,  the 
accumulated  resentment  of  years — at  various  times  re- 
pressed with  the  greatest  difficulty,  by  wise  statesmen 
awaiting  the  right  moment  for  action — these  were,  un- 
doubtedly, potent  factors  in  causing  Japan  to  draw  the 
sword  against  China.  Another  strong  incentive  lay  in  the 


THE  NEW  JAPAN  361 

necessity  for  Japan,  a  thickly  populated  country,  mountain- 
ous and  narrow,  of  finding  a  ready  market  in  China  for  the 
products  of  her  rapidly-rising  industries,  that  give  employ- 
ment to  those  whom  agriculture  or  the  fisheries  cannot 
support.  The  Treaty  of  Peace  of  Shimonoseki  (1895) 
opened  new  ports  in  China  to  the  trade  of  the  victorious 
Japanese,  but  also,  owing  to  the  operation  of  the  Most- 
Favoured-Nation  Clause  in  the  various  treaties  with  China, 
to  the  trade  of  the  world — a  fact  too  often  ignored  by  Oc- 
cidentals when  considering  the  results  of  the  war. 

Of  the  manifold  influences  which  were  at  work  to  impel 
the  Japanese  towards  the  struggle,  none  was  more  impor- 
tant than  the  necessity,  often  painfully  impressed  on  Jap- 
anese statesmen,  of  convincing  the  fiery  spirits  amongst 
the  Shi-zoku,  and  especially  those  of  the  great  fighting  clan 
of  feudal  times,  the  men  of  Satsuma,  that  the  new  civiliza- 
tion had  not  emasculated  the  race.  The  war  conclusively 
proved  to  them,  and  to  the  thousands  whose  hearts  still 
hankered,  in  secret,  after  the  old  order  of  things,  that  Wes- 
tern science  and  foreign  ways  had  not,  as  they  feared,  di- 
minished the  true  Spirit  of  Old  Japan.  The  old  Yamato- 
Damasbi-i  burnt  as  brightly  as  ever  in  Japanese  hearts. 
The  Japanese  sword  was  still  keen,  the  Japanese  arm  still 
strong,  the  Japanese  heart  still  fearless.  All  was  well  with 
Japan  ;  the  new  civilization  had  not  tarnished  her  honour. 
It  had  added  lustre  to  her  glory.  Henceforward  the  new 

1  Formerly  called  Samurai  ;  the  Gentry  who  formed  the  governing  and 
military  class  in  Old  Japan. 


362  JAPAN 

civilization  would  have  no  opponents,  would  cause  no  re- 
grets. 

The  wise  men  who  guided  the  destinies  of  Japan  foresaw 
what  a  war,  which  they  knew  must  be  successful,  would 
mean  as  regards  their  country's  position  in  the  world. 
With  that  quick  sharp  perception  of  what  is  insincere  that 
is  peculiarly  their  own,  they  had  seen  through  the  sham  of 
Occidental  international  ethics.  For  thirty  years  the  West 
had  been  urging  the  Japanese  onward  in  their  adaptation  of 
Occidental  civilization,  ever  replying  to  their  claim  to  be 
treated  as  equals  :  "  Not  yet  !  Go  on  building  railways, 
erect  more  schools,  establish  new  hospitals.  Study,  work, 
trade,  become  learned,  peaceful,  rich — in  one  word,  a  civ- 
ilized nation — and  we  will  admit  you  into  our  midst  on  an 
equal  footing." 

The  Japanese  took  the  advice  to  heart.  They  built 
railways  in  every  direction,  established  a  national  educa- 
tional system  second  to  none,  opened  hospitals  that  aroused 
the  admiration  of  foreign  medical  men  ;  they  studied,  they 
worked,  they  traded ;  the  nation  became  well-educated, 
peaceful,  and  wonderfully  prosperous.  But  all  this  was  of 
no  avail.  Until  Britain,  to  her  everlasting  honour,  gave 
the  others  a  noble  lead  by  the  Treaty  Revision  which  ad- 
mitted Japan  into  the  comity  of  nations  as  an  equal,  the 
Powers  had  continued  to  treat  her  like  an  interesting,  clever 
child,  not  to  be  taken  seriously  for  a  moment.  Japan  went 
to  war,  she  conquered  by  land  and  sea,  and  hey  !  presto ! — 
the  scene  changed.  The  great,  civilized  Christian  Powers 


THE  NEW  JAPAN  363 

stood  in  a  line,  bowing  courteously  to  the  victor  and  ex- 
claiming in  unison  :  "  Here  is  a  nation  that  has  cruisers 
and  guns,  and  torpedoes  and  long  range  rifles,  and  that 
knows  how  to  use  them  so  as  to  kill  a  great  number  of 
people  with  small  loss  to  herself.  Truly  this  is  a  great 
nation  and  one  worthy  of  our  respect  !  " 

In  a  few  months,  "  frivolous,  superficial,  grotesquely 
imitative,  little  Japan  "  had  become  "  the  predominant  fac- 
tor in  the  Far  East  " — "  a  nation  to  be  reckoned  with  in 
all  future  international  combinations  affecting  Eastern 
Asia  " — "  a  rising  naval  Power,"  and  "  the  modern  Jack 
the  Giant-Killer."  The  statesmen  and  the  warriors  of 
Japan  smiled  grimly  as  they  noted  the  complete  success  of 
their  efforts  to  prove  Japan  a  nation.  They  had  rightly 
gauged  the  relative  value  of  the  triumphs  of  peace  and 
those  of  war  in  the  estimation  of  the  great  Powers  of  the 
West.  Governments  that  had,  in  the  past,  treated  Japan 
with  scant  courtesy,  now  seriously  considered  the  question 
of  an  alliance  with  her.  Other  great  Powers  paid  her  the 
almost  equally  great  compliment  of  looking  upon  her  as  a 
dangerous  rival,  and  formed  a  monstrous,  unnatural  coali- 
tion for  the  purpose  of  coercing  her.  Friends  and  foes 
alike  had  begun  to  grasp  the  changed  situation.  The  New 
Far  East  was  born. 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS 

E.  S. 

JAPAN,  or  Nippon,  consists  of  four  large  islands  Honshiu 
(the  mainland),  Yezo,  Kiushiu  and  Shikoku,  and  many 
small  islands  (said  to  comprise  more  than  4,223),  the 
area  being  about  147,655  square  miles  and  the  population 
44,733,379.  In  1895,  the  Island  of  Formosa  (about 
13,500  square  miles,  with  a  population  of  2,640,309,  chiefly 
Chinese),  and  the  Pescadores  (eighty-five  square  miles  with 
a  population  of  52,400),  were  ceded  by  China.  The 
Kurile  Islands  have  belonged  to  Japan  since  1875;  and  in 
1876,  the  Luchu  Islands  were  incorporated  as  the  "  Pre- 
fecture of  Okinawa."  The  Empire  of  Japan  consists  of 
an  area  of  162,655  square  miles,  with  a  population  of 
44,260,606  (22,329,925  men  and  21,630,681  women). 

Tokio  (formerly  Yedo),  is  the  capital  and  residence  of 
the  Mikado  (population  1,507,642),  and  the  two  chief 
ports  and  centres  of  foreign  trade  are  Yokohama  and  Kobe 
(populations  respectively  in  1898,  193,762  and  214,119). 
The  population  of  the  other  important  cities  are :  Osaka, 
1,311,909  ;  Kioto,  351,461 ;  Nagoya,  239,771 ;  Hiroshima, 
1 14,231,  and  Nagasaki,  106,574.  In  1898,  ten  other  towns 
contained  a  population  of  between  50,000  and  100,000. 
The  chief  towns  of  the  island  Formosa  are  Tamsui,  Tai- 

364 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  365 

nanfu  and  Anping.  The  almost  inaccessible  mountainous 
inlands  are  occupied  by  a  primitive  tribe  of  Malays.  The 
Ainu,  an  uncivilized  tribe  that  anciently  occupied  the  greater 
part  of  Japan,  still  inhabit  Yezo.  The  islands  of  the 
Japanese  archipelago  are  volcanic,  and  disastrous  earth- 
quakes are  frequent,  as  are  also  tidal  waves.  There  are  no 
less  than  eighteen  active  summits ;  but  the  chief  peak 
Fuji-san,  or  Fujiyama  (12,370  feet),  Japan's  highest  and 
most  sacred  mountain,  has  been  dormant  since  1707.  As 
the  country  is  very  mountainous,  the  area  available  for 
cultivation  does  not  exceed  one-sixth  of  the  whole,  but  the 
soil  is  productive  and  agriculture  is  extensively  carried  on, 
the  chief  products  being  rice,  wheat  and  other  cereals, 
and  the  potato,  tea-plant  and  tobacco.  The  mineral 
products  include  gold  (discovered  in  1899),  silver,  copper, 
iron,  sulphur,  coal,  agate,  cornelian  and  rock-crystal.  The 
vegetable  products  include  the  camphor-tree,  the  lacquer- 
tree,  the  vegetable  wax-tree  and  the  paper  mulberry.  The 
principal  timber  trees  are  the  Cryptomeria  japonica,  Pinus 
Massoniana,  and  Zelkowa  Keaki.  The  chief  products  of 
Formosa  are  rice,  sugar,  tea,  coal  and  camphor.  The 
coasts,  which  have  very  fine  harbours,  abound  in  fish. 

Japan  claims  to  possess  a  written  history  of  2,500  years 
and  that  the  present  Mikado,  Mutsu  Hito  (the  I2ist  of  his 
race),  is  a  direct  descendant  of  the  Emperor  Jimmu,  who 
founded  the  present  dynasty  in  660  B.  c.,  which,  after  a 
short  war  in  1868,  overthrew  the  Shogun  who  had  practi- 
cally ruled  the  country  since  the  Twelfth  Century.  The 


366  JAPAN 

Mikado  (Honourable  Gate)  has  been  absolute  sovereign  of 
Japan  ever  since  that  date.  Mutsu  Hito,  the  Mikado  of 
Japan,  was  born  at  Kioto,  Nov.  3,  1852.  He  succeeded 
his  father,  Komei  Tenno,  in  1867,  and  in  1869  married 
the  Princess  Haruko,  daughter  of  Prince  Ichijo.  His  chil- 
dren are  Prince  Yoshihito  (born  1879,  proclaimed  Crown 
Prince  in  1889,  and  married  to  Princess  Sadako  in  1900), 
and  four  Princesses.  Under  his  rule  Japan  has  entered 
upon  an  era  of  phenomenal  prosperity  and  her  quick  ab- 
sorption of  Western  ideas  and  methods  has  placed  her 
among  the  Powers. 

Japan  was  an  absolute  monarchy  until  1889,  when  the 
Mikado  granted  a  new  constitution  to  the  people  by  which 
the  Emperor  is  head  and  sovereign  of  the  people,  but  exer- 
cises his  executive  powers  with  the  advice  of  Cabinet  Min- 
isters, who  are  appointed  by  himself.  He  exercises  the 
legislative  power  with  the  aid  of  the  Imperial  Diet,  com- 
posed of  a  House  of  Peers  (about  300  in  number)  and  a 
House  of  Representatives  (375  members).  The  Imperial 
Diet  must  be  assembled  once  a  year.  It  has  control  over 
the  finances.  The  present  Cabinet  is  as  follows :  Field 
Marshall  Viscount  Taro  Katsura,  Prime  Minister ;  Baron 
Jutaro  Komura,  Foreign  Affairs  ;  Baron  Tosuke  Hirata, 
Agriculture  and  Commerce ;  Baron  Tadakatsu  Utsumi, 
Interior;  Baron  Arasuke  Sone,  Finance;  Major-Genera! 
Masatake  Terauchi,  War ;  Admiral  Baron  Gombei  Ya- 
mamoto,  Marine  ;  Baron  Keigo  Kiyoura,  Justice  ;  Baron 
Dairoku  Kikuchi,  Education ;  Viscount  Akimasa  Yoshi- 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  367 

kawa,  Communications ;  and  Major-General  Viscount 
Tanaka,  Imperial  Household. 

The  first  national  Parliament  met  in  1890.  The  new 
aristocracy  consists  of  five  grades  corresponding  to  the 
European  titles  of  Prince,  Marquis,  Count,  Viscount  and 
Baron.  The  feudal  lords  retain  their  social  position,  but 
have  lost  all  powers  of  government.  The  Emperor  has 
supreme  command  of  the  army  and  navy.  In  gratitude  for 
his  wise  direction  of  the  naval  and  military  operations 
against  China  in  1898,  the  Diet  voted  the  imperial  estates 
20,000,000  yen  of  the  indemnity  obtained  through  the  vic- 
tories. 

The  existing  military  regulations  date  from  1883.  The 
entire  army  is  organized  on  the  basis  of  conscription,  all 
male  Japanese  subjects  from  the  ages  of  seventeen  to  forty 
are  subject  to  service  as  follows  :  three  years  in  the  stand- 
ing army,  four  years  in  the  standing  army  reserve,  and  five 
years  in  the  territorial  army  ;  while  the  national  army  cor- 
responding to  the  European  Landsturm,  is  another  reserve. 
In  1901-2,  the  military  budget  amounted  to  50,111,000  yen 
and  provided  for  thirteen  divisions,  comprising  the  Im- 
perial Guard,  twenty-six  infantry  brigades,  seventeen  regi- 
ments of  cavalry,  nineteen  regiments  of  artillery,  thirteen 
battalions  of  pioneers,  thirteen  battalions  of  train,  one  rail- 
way and  one  telegraph  battalion.  Besides  these,  there  are 
three  regiments  of  coast  and  two  battalions  of  foot  artillery 
and  the  Yezo  Brigade  consisting  of  infantry,  cavalry,  ar- 
tillery, and  pioneers.  The  Army  of  the  Second  Line  com- 


368  JAPAN 

prises  thirty-six  battalions  of  infantry,  as  well  as  cavalry, 
pioneers  and  other  troops.  The  military  schools  and  acad- 
emies are  of  the  best  type  and  the  army  is  efficiently  drilled. 
The  men  are  armed  with  the  256  inch  rifle,  a  Japanese  in- 
vention. In  1901-2,  the  peace  strength  was  reported  to  be 
143,649  (8,1 16  officers)  and  the  war  strength  (not  includ- 
ing all  the  reserves),  392,220  with  1,098  guns  (171  bat- 
talions, forty-three  squadrons  and  seventy-one  batteries). 
According  to  the  St.  Petersburg  Gazette  (Nov.  1902)  the 
force  was  509,960. 

The  Japanese  navy  is  one  of  the  most  important  de- 
velopments in  the  politics  of  the  Far  East.  The  Minister 
of  the  Navy  has  his  department  of  command  in  Tokio. 
The  chief  of  the  naval  command  is  appointed  from  the  list 
of  admirals.  In  1902,  there  were  two  admirals,  nine  vice- 
admirals,  twenty-five  rear-admirals,  sixty-five  captains,  119 
commanders,  167  lieutenant-commanders,  220  lieutenants, 
305  sub-lieutenants  as  well  as  engineers,  medical  officers, 
etc.  The  sailors  numbered  31,688.  The  total  was 
35,355  officers  and  men.  The  coast  is  divided  into  five 
maritime  districts,  the  headquarters  being  at  Yokosuka, 
Kure,  Sasebo,  Maizuru  and  Muroran  (the  last  is  now  being 
established).  Japan  has  a  large  ship-building  programme, 
which  is  said  to  include  four  battleships  from  England  and 
six  first-class  cruisers  from  England,  France  and  Germany. 
She  is  building  her  own  protected  cruisers  and  destroyers 
and  founding  armour  factories  by  which  means  she  will 
soon  be  enabled  to  build  her  battleships  also.  Her  newest 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  369 

battleships  are  the  Fuji,  Yashima,  Shikishima,  Asahi, 
Hatsuse  and  Mikasa.  Her  most  efficient  armoured  cruis- 
ers are  Asama,  Azuma,  Yakumo,  Idzumo,  Iwate  and 
Tokiwa.  She  also  owns  the  battleship  Chin -Yen  captured 
from  China ;  and  a  large  and  efficient  flotilla  of  torpedo 
boat  destroyers,  which  is  constantly  increasing.  The  pro- 
posed sum  for  strengthening  the  navy  and  to  be  extended 
over  a  period  of  eleven  years  (beginning  March  31,  1904), 
is  99,860,305  yen.  Some  of  this  provides  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  an  armour-plate  making  plant  at  Kure. 

In  1903,  the  mercantile  marine  of  registered  ships  above 
100  tons  were  555  steamers  of  563,389  gross  tons,  and 
1,241  sailing  vessels  of  171,024  gross  tons. 

Commerce  with  foreign  nations  is  carried  on  through 
the  open  ports  of  Yokohama,  Kobe,  Osaka,  Nagasaki, 
Hakodate,  Niigata  and  twenty  special  export  ports.  The 
chief  exports  are  rice,  silk,  tea,  fish,  copper,  matches,  coal, 
camphor,  straw-plaits,  marine  products,  cotton  yarn  and 
mats  for  floor.  The  principal  imports  are  machinery  from 
Europe  and  the  United  States  of  America,  kerosene  oil 
from  the  latter;  raw  cotton  from  China  and  the  United 
States  of  America,  metals,  woollens,  drugs,  locomotives, 
sugar,  beans,  peas,  pulse,  and  rice.  In  1901,  the  imports 
of  bullion  and  specie  were  10,960,750  yen  and  the  exports 
14,049,099  yen. 

The  chief  industries  of  the  country  are  factories  for  silk 
and  cotton  and  cotton  yarn,  paper,  glass,  matches,  porce- 
lain, japanned  ware,  as  well  as  bronze  and  shipbuilding. 


370  JAPAN 

In  the  province  of  Echigo,  the  petroleum  industry  is 
being  developed  ;  at  Wakamatsu,  a  Government  foundry  is 
engaged  in  pig-iron,  Siemens'  steel,  and  rails  and  plates,  and 
at  Nagasaki,  shipbuilding  is  conducted  by  skilled  European 
workmen  with  the  newest  machinery  on  a  large  scale. 
The  camphor  industry  is  of  extreme  value.  In  1891,  no 
less  than  2,508,361  persons  were  engaged  in  fishing.  In 
1900,  the  fish  industry  yielded  :  dried  fish,  12,783,934  yen; 
salt  fish,  2,267,512  yen;  fish  manure,  9,662,768  yen;  fish 
oil,  399,648  yen  ;  and  sea-weed,  2,008,604  yen. 

In  1901,  of  the  total  foreign  ships  entering  Japanese 
ports  1,644  °f  4>°8o,583  tons  were  British ;  385  of 
1,192,153  tons,  German;  284  of  455,243  tons,  Russian; 
188  of  240,906  tons,  Norwegian;  175  of  404,724  tons, 
American  ;  and  154  of  303,690  tons,  French. 

The  Japanese  have  shown  great  energy  in  developing 
their  railway  lines. 

In  1900,  there  were  2,  802  miles  of  private  railway  and 
833  miles  of  Government.  The  latter  owns  the  Tokaido, 
Shinano  and  Echigo  as  well  as  the  Oshiu  and  Dewa  lines 
(66 1  miles).  Progress  is  being  made  on  the  East  Coast 
route.  A  railway  was  opened  in  Formosa  in  1900  from 
Takao  to  Tainan  (forty  miles),  and  a  Japanese  line  is  also 
being  built  in  Korea  from  Fusan  to  Seoul.  In  the  budget 
of  1901—2,  the  net  profit  on  these  lines  was  estimated  at 
£746,977.  In  1899,  there  were  1,562  miles  of  telephone. 

In  1897,  tne  currency  was  placed  upon  a  gold  standard, 
the  unit  of  value  is  0.75  grammes  of  pure  gold  and  is 


PRESENT  CONDITIONS  371 

called  the  yen  which  is  not  coined,  the  smallest  gold  coin 
being  the  5~yen  piece.  The  old  silver  5~sen  piece  and 
copper  2,  i  and  ^  sen  pieces  are  used  as  formerly.  The 
sen  is  the  hundredth  part  of  a  yen  and  the  rin  is  the  tenth 
part  of  a  sen.  In  1901  the  local  exchange  value  of  the 
yen  was  2s  o^d.  The  paper  money  in  circulation  is 
Nippon  Ginko  notes,  or  notes  of  the  Bank  of  Japan,  ex- 
changeable for  gold  on  presentation,  amounted  on  April  i, 
1902,  to  187,194,336  yen.  The  revenue  for  1902-3 
amounted  to  273,630,836  yen  and  the  expenditure, 
270,424,495  yen. 

The  constitution  permits  freedom  of  religious  belief  and 
practice.  There  is  no  state  religion  nor  state  support, 
although  the  state  and  local  authorities  support  many 
shrines.  In  1900,  there  were  196,358  of  these  shrines 
dedicated  to  the  eminent  ancestors  of  the  Imperial  House 
and  meritorious  subjects.  The  chief  forms  of  religion  are 
Shintoism  (with  twelve  sects)  and  Buddhism  (with  twelve 
sects  and  thirty-two  creeds).  In  1900,  there  were  89,507 
Shinto  priests  and  687  students,  while  there  were  71,951 
Buddhist  temples,  111,264  bonzes,  and  9,276  students. 
Moreover  there  were  1,035  churches  and  preaching  stations 
of  the  Roman  Catholic,  Greek,  and  Protestant  Churches. 

The  two  Universities  are  Tokio  Imperial  University 
and  Kioto  Imperial  University.  Both  are  supported  by 
the  Government.  Elementary  education  is  compulsory. 
There  are  about  27,000  elementary  schools  with  more  than 
4,300,000  pupils.  Technical  schools  are  rapidly  increas- 


372  JAPAN 

ing.  Formosa  has  a  special  educational  system.  In  1900, 
Japan  had  forty-three  libraries  with  525,971  volumes.  In 
that  year  944  periodicals  and  newspapers  and  18,281  books 
were  published. 

THE    END. 


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